


Hell's Angel

by bingbong21



Category: Shugo Chara!
Genre: Angst, Blood and Torture, Demon AU, F/M, Genital Torture, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Psychological Torture, hell AU, seriously guys it's kinda dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-25 05:04:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 47,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9803696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bingbong21/pseuds/bingbong21
Summary: The job of a demon is to torture their victims. Their image is to be cold and ruthless. She wears the image with ease and grace. He is chosen to recover her humanity. He'll fight to break it as she fights to keep it. Question is, who will win?





	1. Welcome to Hell

**Author's Note:**

> Written circa 2010

"Oi, get up."

_"Ugh…What? Who's telling me to get up..."_

"Hey, get your ass up before I kick you."

_"Sounds female…And she wouldn't ki-Damn it!"_

After receiving a sharp kick to his ribs, the young man gasped in pain as his eyes shot open. He immediately sat up, wincing as he clutched his ribs. He turned his indigo eyes to glare at the girl standing next to him. From what he could tell, she was only about thirteen, maybe even twelve.

"Why did you kick me?" He asked, keeping the urge to slap her under control. The urge spiked when she only shrugged, her own dull lifeless amber eyes meeting his.

"You wouldn't get up, and if I didn't kick you awake, then surely you would've been hot ironed." She said, as casually as if she was talking about the weather.

"Hot ironed? What kind of place does that to wake people up?" He asked, keeping the shock out of his voice. He had learned to keep emotions out of his voice, though his eyes tended to tell more than they should. The girl in front of him noticed that, a smirk gracing her child like features.

"Simple: You're in the place that no one wants to end up in when they die. The place that all those stupid churches warn against, forcing you into celibacy when all you really want to do is fuck some girl's brains out when you don't even know her."

"So basically, what you're telling is that I'm in Hell?" He stated, recapitulating all the facts that she had said to come up with his answer.

"Well, you're not as dumb as you look Tsukiyomi." The girl said, mocking him with her sarcastic pride in his answer. He rolled his eyes at her, a slight smirk playing on his face.

"Let me guess, you know my name because of your 'demonic powers' or some bull like that, right?"He said, trying to poke fun at her. The girl rolled her eyes before she began ruffling through the messenger bag that was worn around her shoulder. This gave him time to take in her appearance, possibly to even know who he was dealing with.

He took note of her pink hair, which was up in a high ponytail with her bangs framing her face, the ponytail being held by a black x-shaped clip. Next was her top, seeming to be a black silk kimono with red trimming and obi that was cut off at the waist. The sleeves of the kimono top even had designs on them, red butterflies with a few whites ones here and there. Her skirt was a ruffled, the top layer being a bright red and the bottom layer being a black that matched her kimono top. Just as he reached her knee-high lace up boots, the girl found what she was looking for in the bag, pulling it out and reading from it almost immediately.

"Name: Tsukiyomi Ikuto. Age: 18. Height: 5'10. Hair color: Blue. Eye color: Indigo. Cause of death: Alcohol poisoning at a high school party. Whether it was accidental or not is unknown."

"For the record, that idiot Higuchi told me that I had to participate in that stupid drinking contest, else he would give girls…'provocative' pictures of me." Ikuto explained, trying to clear up any misconceptions of him being a drunkard. She gave him a smile, obviously mocking him with how fake it was.

"Alright then, we'll just jot down that you died because you were stupid."

"Now just wait a-"

"Reason for being in Hell," She continued, ignoring him completely. "Raping half sister Tsukiyomi Utau."

"I was drunk then."

"And now you've learned why not to drink. Moving on, name of demon in charge of you: Hinamori Amu. Mission: To keep Tsukiyomi Ikuto under surveillance at all times, and to make him feel the mental anguish that his sister felt."

Ikuto's eyes widened before he regained the slight composure he had been keeping this entire time. "So you're telling me that not only do I have to follow you around like a dog on a leash, but that I'm your fuck buddy?"

Amu gave a snort before sneering down at him. "You wish we would be fuck buddies. Fuck buddies usually have some attraction to each other, seeing as how they're screwing like jackrabbits. You, I have no attraction to you; you're nothing more than a pathetic little shit that I have to punish for the rest of eternity. This is your torment; this is my job. It's nothing more, and nothing less. Got it?"

"You know, for someone with a face like yours, it's quite shocking to be hearing such foul language. I wonder what your mother would say." Ikuto mused aloud, acting as if he hadn't heard a word. Amu's face twisted in anger, and with such speed that could only be described as demonic, her boot connected with his head. Ikuto's body was slammed against the ground from the force, which would probably have been enough to give a concussion if he hadn't been dead already.

"Well that hurt like a bitch." Ikuto grumbled, rubbing his now sore head. Amu knelt down to his level, only to grab him by his shirt collar so as to glare directly into his eyes.

"You listen to me you little shit; most of the souls down here would kill for an opportunity like this. Those other rapists, they're all tied to a bed of nails getting fucked twenty-four seven. Everyone else, they're not even allowed to leave their punishment chamber. You on the other hand, you're allowed to move freely as long as I'm right next to you, only getting your comeuppance when I've finished torturing others. Most people would kill for this, so you better be damn grateful for it. Do I make myself clear?"Amu spat out, the dull amber in her eyes burning bright with what could only be pure hatred.

"Crystal." Ikuto muttered, forcing himself to keep his cool when under the burning gaze of someone who could probably kill him with just the flick of her finger. Amu let him go roughly, causing him to fall back onto the ground hard.

"Good. Now get your ass up: It's time for the daily regime."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, going over this I just cringe. But, people on FFN liked it so...it counts as a cream of my stank crop.

Amu walked ahead of him at a quick pace, practically leaving Ikuto in the dust. Normally, he'd have caught up to someone of Amu's size, but since she had decided to almost break his ribs and give him a concussion, he found himself quickly limping after her instead of walking.

"Oi, mind slowing down next time. I'm injured here, remember?" Ikuto said, finally catching up to Amu. She turned around to glare at him, almost as if she blamed him for being injured.

_"Next time don't kick so hard."_ He thought to himself, staring back into her eyes unwaveringly.

"Suck it up, the time it takes for those baby wounds to heal is practically non-existent," Amu said, staring down at him. "By the time I'm done here, you'll probably be ready to run a mile."

"Really, it takes you that long to torture someone? You must be terrible at your job."Ikuto said, going out of his way to push her buttons. When he said that, he instantly felt a knee in his gut, causing him to double over gasping for breath. Amu grabbed him by his hair, yanking him up so that he could look into her eyes.

"Another thing about me: Don't insult my work. If I take a long time, it's because I enjoy watching them beg and plead for mercy, not because I'm terrible at my job."

"So that explains me being a punching bag."Ikuto said through gritted teeth, still clutching his stomach. Amu smirked at him, dropping his hair from her clutches and patting him on the head.

"So you do have brains in that empty skull of yours. I'm impressed,"Amu said turning towards the area they were entering. She then turned back to him, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot impatiently. "Now come on, I haven't got all day."

Ikuto stood up, still clutching his side. "Heh, impatient one aren't you?"

"Heh, stupid one aren't you?"Amu mocked, patience wearing thin. When he got close enough to her, she turned on her heel and briskly walked into the torture area, Ikuto following behind her.

* * *

 

"If you won't kick me in the shin or something, who's the unlucky soul dealing with you?" Ikuto asked, beginning to be able to keep pace with her. He hated to admit it, but she was right; the amount of time it was taking for his 'baby wounds' as she put it to heal was much shorter than the time on Earth.

"Name is Hotori Tadase. Age is 12, hair color is blonde, and eye color is magenta." Amu stated, stopping in front of a door. She began to dig into her messenger bag, pulling out a key ring with various keys on it.

"Sounds like a nice kid. What did he do to get locked up here?" Ikuto asked, leaning against the wall next to the door.

"He killed a friend of his, Souhma Kukkai, with the reasoning that he betrayed him." Amu said, finding the right key and inserting it into the door. Ikuto raised an eyebrow, staring at her as she turned the key.

"And the real reason?"

"He didn't want to take part in Tadase's crazy schemes for 'world domination'." Amu explained, opening the door to the room. There, chained to the wall, was a young boy, looking to be about Amu's age, wearing nothing more than a pair of plaid pants. He had the features that she had given, but really looked to be more of a princely type than a murderer type. Ikuto found it very hard to believe that this kid could actually do that.

"Hello Hinamori-san."Tadase said, giving her a smile. "I see you've been given a new charge today."

"Cut the chit-chat and let's get down to business,"Amu said, closing the door behind her and Ikuto, walking towards him. "You know there's no reason to be so pleasant with me; I know for a fact I've made you cry many times."

"You're outfit today looks quite lovely; Are these clothes your ceremonial clothes that you wear when getting a new charge?" Tadase asked, looking at what she was wearing and ignoring her statement. Ikuto was sure that he would be getting a kick to somewhere painful, but was surprised to see Amu just walk up to him and slap him across the face. The force was enough to cause his head to turn, but he still wore a smile.

"Just for your idle crap, I'm going to make your time here today worse than it would've been before. So when you're bawling your eyes out, don't be blaming me." Amu said, grabbing a knife off the table next to Tadase.

"Of course Hinamori-san. I would never think anything else." He replied the smile still on his face. Amu narrowed her eyes at him, before plunging the knife deep into his chest. He visibly winced, but the smile still remained.

"Still smiling? My, you must really have no heart Tadase-kun,"Amu mused cruelly, dragging the knife slowly down his chest. "I wonder, were you smiling when you killed Kukkai? Smiling as his blood covered your hands, your arms, your face, everything? Smiling as you washed away his blood by the river, and buried his body near the soccer field?" Amu was smirking know, blood covering her hand as the knife carved through his chest. Ikuto was almost sick as he watched her, seeing her carve a name onto his chest, seemingly Kukkai's. And yet, the entire it was happening, Tadase still wore a smile.

"I regretted it dearly afterwards Hinamori-san." Tadase said, his teeth gritted as she continued to carve. Amu turned her smirk towards him, looking up from her work.

"I'm sure you were; especially when you got caught by the police. Tell me, how was prison? Did you enjoy the gang banging, the in-mate beatings, and the unbearable amounts of labor? And how about that prison riot you tried to start? Did you enjoy watching them get all riled up, only for you to be the first one shot when the prison guards caught whiff of it? Were you smiling when all the hopes of freedom for those rioters were dashed, and they began to mangle your body in anger? Were you smiling when your body was burned because they never wanted to see your dirty rotten face again? Let me know, otherwise I'll look for myself."Amu threatened, finishing her carving of Souhma Kukkai into his chest. Blood was pouring, he must have been in excruciating pain, and yet that smile had never left his face.

"I did have a smile on my face," Tadase answered. "I had a smile on my face because I knew that I was having punishment for my sin at the time."

"Really now," Amu said, a fake thoughtful look on her face as she brought herself closer to Tadase. "Well I think I'll just look just to make sure." Amu said, and with that pressed her lips against his.

Ikuto stood there and stared. Sure, she seemed to be a complete bitch. And he highly doubted that she was doing anything to bring his memories out for all to see, so he could only figure that she was prostituting herself in the guise of her job. It was only after she pulled away and a wisp of smoke seemed to follow her lips from Tadase's mouth that Ikuto began to hope that she couldn't read minds. Amu took the wisp of smoke in her hands, pulling it and stretching it to make something visible.

"Now then, let us see the truth." Amu said, and soon the small screened smoke began to play a memory.

* * *

 

_"Come my fellow inmates! We must band together to defeat this common enemy!" Tadase shouted, standing in front of a large crowd of orange clad men. They cheered, obviously not for the man in front of them, but for the prospect of turning free tonight. Tadase tried so hard to ignore the whispers of doubt he heard from amongst the crowd, almost as a silent worry that this would just be another failed attempt filled with hot air._

_"This scrawny little thing it going to lead us?"_

_"Didn't we beat this guy up just last Tuesday?"_

_"We might as well just go back to our cell; no way we're getting out tonight."_

"No! I must ignore them and rise above their petty doubts! I will be a leader in this hell hole, even if it's the last thing I do!" _Tadase thought, shaking his head to free the doubts that had begun to cloud him. He then resumed his speech, taking on an authoritative tone he used so seldom and had practiced so long on for an occassion like this._

_"We must rise up against them! We must take the control that is rightfully ours! Who is with me when I say, come, let us forge our freedom from this place, with me as your leader?!"_

_The crowd cheered before him, ready to follow him at a given notice. Tadase grinned, pleased with himself. If he could accomplish this much, then who knows where he could end up when he got out. He would shake the shackles of his past sins off, and begin life anew as a leader for all to look up to._

"I regret you not being here to experience this momentous occassion with me Kukai," _Tadase thought, a sad smile gracing his lips._ "But what had to be done was done in order to get to this point. Now, my future truly unfolds and begins!"

_Just as his dreams of the future began to grow before his eyes, a shot rang out in the prison, and all was suddenly black in his world._

_When Tadase woke up, he found himself lying on the ground. He stood up and looked around, assessing his surroundings. "Where am I?"He asked, looking around for any sign of life._

_"Welcome to Hell, Tadase-kun."A voice said behind him. Tadase's eyes widened as he whipped his head around to confirm who the voice was, only to have his eyes continued to grow to the size of dinner plates._

_"A-Amu-chan?"_

* * *

 

The smoke suddenly cleared, signaling the end of the memory. Amu stayed silent, staring straight at the wall, no emotion showing at all. Tadase, on the other hand, was staring at the ground, his bangs covering his eyes. Amu walked forward, lifting his head so that she could clearly see his face. The smile was still there, but tears were now freely running down his face.

"Torture is complete, time to leave." Amu said calmly, dropping his head and briskly walking towards the door. She opened it, and was out of there in less than a minute. Ikuto stared at her retreating form, and was about to follow her until Tadase's voice stopped him.

"Sir…I don't know who you are, but you have to save Amu-chan."

Ikuto looked at Tadase as if the words coming out of his mouth were a whole new language. "Well first, you can call me Ikuto. Second, what?"

"You saw the memory, you heard her voice. Amu-chan wasn't always like this; she used to be just like you and I. To me, to all her friends really, she was…"  Tadase trailed off, not knowing if he could say it.

"She was what?"Ikuto prompted him. He was curious now, and while curiosity killed the cat, he was already dead so he didn't have to worry. "What was she?" He continued to prompt Tadase for answer.

Tadase looked up at Ikuto, the tears still in his eyes. "To everyone, she was like an angel in human form. As far as I can remember, she never did anything to deserve this fate. The only thing that happened was-"

"Oi, Tsukiyomi! Get your ass out here before I come in there and carve you like a Christmas goose!"Amu shouted, impatience practically dripping from every word she spoke. Ikuto headed to the door, getting ready to leave before looking back at Tadase.

"I'll see what I can do."Ikuto said, before closing the door and heading towards where Amu was waiting for him. Tadase leaned his head back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. Tears still slowly fell from his face, but not as fast as they fell before.

"Amu-chan," He said aloud, still looking at the ceiling. "It wasn't your fault."


	3. Chapter 3

Amu tapped her foot rapidly, her arms crossed tightly against her chest. She was not at all pleased with having to drag someone around with her all day, and having someone so slow to drag around only added to her displeasure. Her eyes narrowed to amber slits of annoyance when she saw Ikuto exit the room.

"Jesus Christ, what were you having in there, a fucking tea party?"Amu spat, her foot still tapping. Ikuto just walked calmly towards her, almost in a laidback sort of manner.

"You know, your mouth would put the child of a trucker and a sailor to shame." Ikuto casually commented, his hands in his pocket and a smirk on his face. Amu growled, roughly grabbing his wrist and dragging him down the hall.

"You are nothing but a nuisance, do you know that Tsukiyomi?"

"Ikuto."

Amu stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him. "What was that?"

"That was my name. Tsukiyomi is too formal; if I'm going to be your forced sex slave, than you might as well call me Ikuto. And in exchange, I call you Amu." Ikuto explained his terms to the impatient girl in front of him. _"If that Tadase kid was telling the truth, she just might go for it."_ Ikuto thought, staring down Amu's glare.

Amu huffed, turning on her heel and starting down the hall again. "We don't have time for useless crap like that. Plus, as your demon overseer, I call you whatever I want to, and you call me by my last name. If you don't like those terms, then I'll gladly sew your mouth shut so you can never speak again."

Ikuto sighed. "Yes, of course, Oh mistress of doom and despair."

"Shut it before I break that playboy face of yours into a million pretty little pieces." Amu growled out, still briskly walking down the hall. Ikuto rolled his eyes, following after her so as to avoid her wrath.

"So, who's next on the 'Make them cry like little human girls' list?" Ikuto asked, looking down the hallway in complete boredom.

"Name is Fujisaki Nagihiko. Age is 13. Hair color is purple, and eye color is brown." Amu stated quickly, reaching a door that had been considerable distance from the Tadase's cell.

"Do I want to ask, or should I just wait and see?" Ikuto asked, watching as Amu rapidly searched for the key.

"I don't care just shut your fucking trap. God, it's like listening to a never ending soundtrack." Amu grumbled, inserting the key and opening the door swiftly. She walked into the room and straight towards a young boy lying on a metallic table. His long purple hair hung over the edge of the table, and his arms and legs were strapped down. Unlike Tadase, Nagihiko was lying on his form of torture naked as the day he was born. Ikuto could only imagine what Amu had in store for him today.

"Ah, Amu-chan. I thought that my presence wasn't going to be graced by you today." Nagihiko said, his voice coming out in a calm manner. Amu rolled her eyes as she brought over a cart full of different tools.

"I swear, for people getting tortured, you, Tadase-kun, and Kairi are so chatty. It actually makes me want to vomit." Amu said, checking to make sure the tools were razor sharp. Nagihiko shrugged the best as he could with his arms tied.

"We try to make the best of a terrible situation is all." Nagihiko said, flashing a smile. Amu rolled her eyes and walked over to where Nagihiko's head laid, and began to run her fingers through his hair. If Ikuto hadn't known better, from his point of view it would look like she was caressing it gently, almost in a caring manner.

"You know Nagi, you have such lovely hair," Amu said, still running her fingers through it. "It's so soft and luscious….So much better than any girl's hair I've seen before. Why in the world would you keep it so feminine Nagi? You're a boy after all…Right?"

"Of course I am Amu-chan. I'm one hundred percent boy." Nagihiko stated, in a tone of voice that could almost be mistaken for pride.

"Really? But when you came here, you were dressed in girl's clothes…Does that mean you don't like being a boy?"Amu inquired, still running her fingers through his hair. Nagihiko started to fidget slightly, giving a sign of her beginning to breach on an uncomfortable topic.

"Wh-What's there not to like? Boys are strong, tough, and big, we're dominant most of the time! And girls, girls are just weak, a-and small…So very, very small…Practically tiny even!"

Amu walked to the side of the table, her fingertip gently running over the features of his face. Nagihiko practically flinched when he saw Amu's face hovering right above his. "Then, do you mind if I check for you? Just to make sure?"Amu asked, beginning to close the space between their lips. Nagihiko's head began to thrash, trying to make sure their lips did not connect.

"No! You know the truth, you don't need to see it over and over again Amu-chan!" Nagihiko shouted, trying to stop her. Amu glared, grasping his chin harshly to hold him in place.

"Ah ah ah, now hold still; this will only take a second." Amu said, before pressing her lips against his. Ikuto stood and watched the scene unfold; Nagihiko's eyes wide with practical terror and Amu's face slowly moving away, the wisp of memorial smoke following her. She caught it in her hands, shaping it into the screen that showed what she wanted.

"Now, let's see how you really feel about being a boy, shall we?" Amu said, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face as the smoky screen began to play.

* * *

 

_A young girl was walking down the street at night. Her long purple hair held back in a ponytail, her brown eyes bright in the moonlight. She looked perfect, flawless even, her body that of a dancer's. And everyone noticed, including the drunkard that was following her that night._

_The girl sensed someone behind her, and sped up her walking, trying to get home as quickly as possible. But the man behind her sped up as well. Soon, he was almost keeping pace with her, and she knew it would be almost impossible to break away._

_"Hey there cutie! What's your name?" The man shouted, slurring his words as he talked. The girl kept her eyes straight forward, not even looking back._

_"M-My name is Nadeshiko," She called out, walking even quicker than before. She had to get home or at least closer to it if she wanted to be safe. Suddenly, the man was right behind her, and grasped her arm tightly. Nadeshiko was about to scream, but the man clasped his hand over her mouth as he dragged her into an alleyway._

_He slammed her against a wall, pinning her as he began to quickly undress her. "You're a pretty little thing, aren't you?"_

_"N-No…St-Stay away from me, please!" Nadeshiko shouted, struggling against him. The man slapped her hard, continuing his unbuttoning of her blouse._

_"You need to learn when to keep quiet girly. People might be getting the wrong idea, you know?" He slurred, beginning to lower the skirt and panties that she wore. Nadeshiko whimpered, waiting for what she knew was to come. The man finally had them lowered, and looked down, only for his eyes to widen in shock and anger._

_"What the hell is this?!"_

_Nagihiko stared terrified at the man, and the last thing he remembered seeing was his angry face, being covered in his blood._

_Nagihiko had no idea where he was only that his eyes were closed and he wasn't in pain._

_"Nadeshiko."_

_And there was a voice calling out to him, calling him by his female name. It was a soft, female voice, and sounded so familiar…_

_"Nadeshiko."_

_Nagihiko suddenly placed the voice, bolting upright and looking down to see himself in women's clothing. "_

_What the…" He started to say, looking up to meet the gaze of dull amber eyes._

_"You lied to me Nadeshiko."_

* * *

 

The smoke image disappeared, leaving a trembling Nagihiko on the tabletop, and an emotionless Amu staring at where it used to be. She looked down at Nagihiko, a fake smile gracing her face, as she raised the blade she held in her hand.

"Let's make you more masculine, shall we Nagi?" Amu asked, and suddenly Nagihiko's scalp was lying on the floor, the long purple locks matted with the blood that spilled forth.

Ikuto could only stare in hidden horror at the sight before him, not being able to turn away for some sick twisted divine reason. He watched as Nagihiko's scalp fell to the floor, how Amu sliced into his calves that had been toned from years of dancing with reckless abandon. She sliced into his ankle, breaking the tendons that held it together, causing screams of pain to erupt from Nagihiko. The blade and blood danced together, Nagihiko's body being the dance floor and Amu being the choreographer. The dance was long, was violent and bloody, and didn't stop until Nagihiko was bloody mess lying on the tabletop. Amu let her fingers dance downwards, the blade twirling delicately between the fingers of her other hand.

"You know, when Rima heard that 'Nagihiko' moved away, she was so upset. A lot of people thought that was what led her to the suicide. Well, that and her parents being so aggressive towards each other. If only you didn't want to be a girl as pretty as Rima," Amu sighed in an almost dream like manner, before her hand grasped onto Nagihiko's penis. His eyes widened as Amu's grinned evilly.

"But at least I can fix that for you." She said, and soon the blade caused enough pain for Nagihiko that even Ikuto could feel it.

"Torture is done, time to move on." Amu announced, tossing the bloodied blade onto the cart and heading out the door. "And you better not be late this time Ikuto." She added, and was out the door in the blink of an eye.

Ikuto stared at Nagihiko, feeling pity for him after an encounter such as that. "So what, you're going to tell me now that I have to save Amu because she wasn't always like this?" Ikuto said, more as a hypothesis than a question.

"Yes," He croaked out, his lips coated in blood. "She really wasn't. There…There was a fire back before any of this happened. God, before that fire happened, she was just like a normal person, and as far as I knew, she never had a sinister thought in her head. But after…She just couldn't stop."

"Stop? Couldn't stop what?" Ikuto asked, again letting his curiosity get the better of him. Before Nagihiko could answer his question, Amu's voice came booming from the hallway.

"Ikuto, I swear to Satan that if you don't get your ass out here right now, your punishment will be ten times worse than it should be!"

"You should go," Nagihiko said, nodding towards the door. "She can come up with some nasty things when in a bad mood." "

I can see that."Ikuto said, glancing at Nagihiko's form on the tabletop. Nagihiko chuckled slightly, finding the comment amusing.

"Don't worry; I've been through this a lot. Sometimes I'm used to it, sometimes I'm not. Either way, I always end up right as rain again. Now go."

"If you say so." He said, and was soon out the door to meet up with Amu.

Nagihiko sighed as he gazed up at the ceiling, hoping his call would be heard. "Tsumugu-san, Midori-san, Ami-chan…I've asked you so many times before, but please; let Amu see that it wasn't her fault."


	4. Chapter 4

Amu glared at Nagihiko's door, waiting for Ikuto to come out of it. When he was late from Tadase's, she only thought he was being a nuisance. But with being late from Tadase's and Nagihiko's, she began to think that they must be trying to convince him of something.

_"Those idiots, they just can't seem to understand that the Amu they knew died with the rest of her family and came down here."_ She thought, her glare intensifying at the door. She was hoping that if she stared at it long enough with enough hate, the door would burst into flames. But before that could be accomplished, Ikuto came waltzing out the door, and soon the object of her desired spontaneous combustion changed from the door to him.

"What?" He asked, looking at her with innocent eyes. Her hands balled into fists, taking all of her willpower to not beat him like a piñata right then and there.

"Don't give me that innocent little 'What?'. You know damn well you're taking up my precious time on my busy schedule." Amu growled beginning to walk briskly to the next room as a scowl was displayed on her face. Ikuto shrugged, putting his hands nonchalantly in his pockets.

"Sorry, I just thought that I could spare the next poor soul a few extra minutes of peace and quiet." He said, following after her in his own brisk pace. Amu's hands balled into tighter fists, and her foot so casually stuck itself out in front of Ikuto's feet to trip him. He fell forward and landed harshly, not at all expecting her foot to have been there. She smirked, placing her boot on his back and putting as much pressure as she could down on him.

"Now listen here; I take what I do here very seriously, so making me late for appointments is the perfect way of getting a knife shoved up your ass and poisonous snakes shoved down your throat. So unless you're some type of masochistic freak of nature who would enjoy that, I suggest you pipe down and focus on following me. Got it?"

"Yeah, got it. Now stop breaking my spine: I highly doubt that would characterize as a baby wound." Ikuto grumbled his mouth filling with dust and dirt from the floor. Amu rolled her eyes, muttering something along the lines of 'baby', but removed her foot either way. Ikuto got up and spat the dust and dirt out of his mouth, with just enough time to get up and hurry after Amu's retreating form. By the time he caught up with her, she had already reached their destination, and was pulling out the key to the door.

"What, no information on this one?" Ikuto asked, watching as she fumbled with the keys.

"You didn't ask, so shut the fuck up about it." Amu spat, finding the key and inserting it into the lock. She and Ikuto entered the room, but at first glance it seemed empty.

_"Huh, did the lucky bastard get out?"_ Ikuto thought, looking around and not seeing any sign of anyone.

"Kairi, you know just as well as I do that a true samurai warrior would face his fears instead of hiding like a little prick." Amu sighed, having been through this many times with him.

"A true samurai also knows when a battle is already lost, and must sit back and assess the situation." A voice said, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Amu's lip quirked upwards before returning to its original position, and Ikuto could only guess that she was ready to pummel him.

"Kairi, if you refuse to come out, then I'll get Yukari in here. And you know she's a bigger threat than I could ever be." Amu threatened, standing ground as she glared at the center of the room. Scuffling was heard, and soon a young boy with blue eyes shown behind glasses and dark ivory green hair was seen coming out to the center of the room. Out of all the prisoners before, he was the most dressed, having a shirt and pants on.

"Hell truly does change people, doesn't it? I remember when Yukari-nee-san was a gentle woman, though she did use force when necessary." Kairi said, glancing thoughtfully at the wall of the room. Amu rolled her eyes, and began to walk over to Kairi.

"Yeah, well guess how life works? Two people get together, one cheats, other finds out and starts plotting, cue the slicing and dicing, and then," Amu paused, grasping Kairi's chin in her hand, forcing him to stare into her eyes that held an almost amused glint in them. "They kill themselves and come down here."

Kairi stared back, his gaze never breaking away from hers. "You know just as well as I do that Yukari-nee-san would never commit suicide. She was stronger than that."

Amu grinned with pure malice, enjoying his denial. "Oh really? You don't think she could've completely lost it when she found out Nikaidou was cheating on her?"

"Stop it."

"That she wouldn't plot their murders, slowly and painfully, before finally killing them? Relishing in the feel of her former lover's blood and the blood of his little slut?"

"I said stop."

"That afterwards she was happy for a little bit, but slowly lost her mind completely from the guilt?"

"Stop talking!"

"Until finally, she put that gun in her mouth, enjoying that cold metallic feeling, and pulled the trigger leading her to Hell?"

"Shut up!" Kairi shouted, tears beginning to burn his eyes. Amu's grin turned malicious as she continued, never once breaking eye contact with him, enjoying the pain she inflicted.

"Oh I will, just first pucker up and let me see what you've done." Amu said softly, closing the gap between their lips. Ikuto inwardly groaned as he watched her go through the process.

_"If I have to watch her kiss one more victim, I think I'm going to officially upchuck."_ He thought, watching as the little wisp of smoke was pulled from Kairi and formed into the necessary screen. The memory instantly began to replay itself almost immediately after the screen had been formed.

* * *

 

_Kairi's fingers ran through her hair, his lips busy with hers as they sat on the school roof. He knew it was wrong, but she had been so alluring that he just couldn't resist. So after many days of going behind his current girlfriend's back, he began to court the attractive female in front of him. He pulled back, panting lightly as he stared into her eyes. Those teal eyes that were staring back at him with adoration and victory behind them as he played with the reddish brown curls of her hair. She had always told him that they were a color known only as "Cinaberry" in the hair care world, while he insisted they were "Egyptian Plum", something she scoffed at when brought up. But neither could deny that whatever color they were, they were luscious and soft._

_"I should really get going; they might begin to suspect something." Kairi said softly, his hand lightly stroking her cheek. She leaned into his touch, sighing softly as she held his hand to her face._

_"If it's because you don't want that little Yaya girl to think anything, then don't worry about it. She's too stupid to take things seriously, and that's probably why she thinks you broke up with her."_

_"Yeah…You're right Saaya." Kairi muttered, hiding the nervous tone in his voice. In reality, he had yet to actually break up with Yaya, and was instead going out with both of them at the same time. But, what one knew and the other didn't would hurt him, right? And as he thought that, still silently enjoying the moment between them, the door to the roof opened announcing the arrival of another person._

_"Class Prez, Yaya's been looking for you everywhere!" Yaya announced happily, bounding out the door and onto the roof. Kairi's eyes widened as he and Saaya looked over to see Yaya looking at them._

_"Y-Yaya…"Kairi stuttered, fear beginning to grip him. Here he was, sitting next to Saaya Yamabuki, stroking her face as she held his hand, and both looking flushed in the face. Not even someone as naïve as Yaya could mistake what had been going on._

_Yaya stared at them in shocked silence, before turning her attention totally onto Kairi. "K-Kairi, what's going on?"_

_Before he could answer, Saaya spoke up for him. "What do you mean what's going on? I'm obviously spending lunch with my boyfriend."_

_Yaya's mouth scrunched up into a frown. "You're boyfriend? He's Yaya's boyfriend!"_

_"Ha! What a delusional little twerp you are. Can't you understand that he's completely over you? Or did his break-up with you contain too many big words for that stupid little head of yours to understand?" Saaya said a sneer on her face as she watched for the pain that would soon display on Yaya's face. Yaya puffed her cheeks out, her eyes beginning to brim with tears._

_"You're lying! Kairi is still Yaya's boyfriend, because he never said anything about breaking up with Yaya!"_

_At this remark, Saaya's eyes widened as she glared up at Kairi. "You never broke up with her?"She growled, standing up in front of him. Kairi shrunk back from her, his back hitting the fence of the roof._

_"I-I can explain!"_

_"You cheating little bastard!" Saaya roared, and soon all Kairi could feel were the punches and scratches from Saaya's delicate hands and finely filed nails. He covered his face, trying to keep her from clawing his eyes out, but she only yanked him off the bench and onto the ground, aiming kicks at his stomach and back._

_"Get away from him!" Yaya shouted, grabbing onto Saaya's shoulders to pull her away. Saaya turned and glared at her, shoving her onto the ground harshly. Kairi stood up shakily, watching as Yaya hit the ground._

_"Y-Yaya…" He muttered, concerned for her safety. Saaya heard him, and soon he was slammed against the fence in mere seconds. Saaya kneed him and slammed him against the fence, screaming at him as tears began to glimmer in her eyes._

_"How could you?! You told me you broke up with her! I thought we were actually going to be something special!" She screeched, her nails beginning to claw at his face while her other kept slamming him against the fence. Kairi could try to weakly protect himself from her onslaught, knowing though that it was completely useless._

_"I hate you! I hate you I hate you I fucking hate you!" Saaya continued, slamming him continuously with each 'I hate you'. Suddenly, she slammed him with enough force that would most likely have left a dent in a wall, and the fence broke beneath the force. Kairi's eyes went wide as he felt himself freefalling into the air, Saaya's hand having let go from the shock of breaking the fence. All he knew was that he felt a sudden impact, a sharp pain, and then nothing._

_When he awoke, all he knew was that he was lying on the ground, nothing broken at all, in a much different place than where he fell. And the voice that he heard speaking to him was enough to cause chills to run up his spine._   
_"About time you woke up Class Prez."_

* * *

 

"My, wouldn't Yukari be so disappointed in her little brother? Being just like Nikaidou, dating two girls at one time and not wanting to get rid of either of them. Why, you're so shameful that you've no right to even say you followed that stupid little samurai code of yours." Amu giggled, still grinning with pure malice as Kairi's eyes still burned with tears, the smoke dissipating. Kairi gritted his teeth, his hands balling into fists, and suddenly a loud smack was heard in the room.

_"That's probably the most idiotic thing a person can do to her."_ Ikuto thought, watching as she turned her head to face Kairi again, the force of the smack turning her head.

Amu touched the cheek where he slapped her, a red mark already forming. "That wasn't very nice, hitting a girl like that."

Kairi's eyes turned hard as ice, still glistening from the small amount of tears that had fallen. "You're no girl; you're just a monster that's wearing the shell of someone I once knew!"

"Oh good, it's finally getting through to you! And here I thought that you three were going to be complete idiots for the rest of eternity." Amu sneered, her eyes glinting as she mocked him. Kairi glared at her harder, before summoning courage enough to spit right in her face.

As Ikuto watched, he silently was enjoying the show, secretly celebrating the kid's spitfire personality. _"About time one of these wimps had some spunk in them."_ He thought, watching as Amu wiped the spit off her face.

"You know, treating people like that down here will only end with you lying in a pool of your own blood." Amu commented, pulling out a dagger from her under her skirt. Ikuto had idly wondered how she was going to hurt the boy, considering that the room was bare in it, but now that question had been answered with the unsheathed dagger. Amu dragged the dagger across his cheek, idly watching as a thin line of blood began to trickle down his cheek.

"I hope you enjoy that feeling Kairi." She muttered, before plunging the dagger deep into his stomach.

Kairi gagged, as blood began to pour into his mouth, dribbling down his chin. She grinned as she dragged the dagger upwards, stopping just below his ribcage. She then quickly cut to his left, slowly dragging it back so that she could do the same to his right. Kairi grit his teeth, trying to keep the strangled noises of pain down. Amu continued, slowly dragging the dagger downwards to copy her movement from the top, finally yanking the dagger out of his body. He fell to the floor, gasping in pain, blood splashing and pooling around him.

"Punishment done, time to go." Amu said, walking towards the door as she wiped the dagger clean. She slowed her pace as she reached Ikuto, turning her hard gaze onto him, "And you better not be late this time." She growled, exiting the room the minute her threat was done.

Ikuto looked down at Kairi, waiting for him to speak at all. "Are you going to say anything, or did you mean it when you said that monster bit?"

Kairi looked at him, his eyes unseen behind the blood that painted his glasses. "I…meant every word of it. But…there's a chance she could be saved. Slim, but not impossible. Just…Just take that piece of paper in that rock over there." Kairi breathed, pointing shakily at the stone he was talking about.

Ikuto turned to look where he was pointing, noticing that there was indeed a corner of a paper jutting out. He walked over to it, pulling it out and reading over it. "What is this, some sort of recipe?" He muttered, looking at Kairi.

Kairi chuckled slightly, blood spurting out as he did. "It's what you need…To help her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I had made up those hair color names, but nope, that's what the official wiki said back in 2010.


	5. Chapter 5

To say that Amu's annoyance at expecting Ikuto to take ten minutes to leave Kairi was an understatement. To also say that Amu's jaw almost hitting the floor when he came out in less than five was also an understatement.

"You know, you might want to close your mouth. A poor innocent fly could get trapped in there." Ikuto said, pointing at her open mouth. Amu quickly shut her mouth, turning her head and briskly walking down the opposite end of the hall. Ikuto's eyebrow quirked upwards; surely he hadn't seen what he thought he had seen.

_"Must've been a trick of the light…There's no way she was blushing."_ Ikuto thought, convincing himself as he began to follow her down the hall. Amu was walking brisker than usual, wanting to be far from him so as to let what little color rise to her face get squashed back down.

_"Idiot, letting him possibly see some stupid rise of color like that! He would probably hold that over my head for ages. Of course, I could always just make him eat dirt forcibly."_ Amu thought to herself, slowing her pace slightly as her face returned to its normal color. Ikuto caught up with her, and soon the two were matching the other's strides.

"So, who're you going to mercilessly murder next?" Ikuto casually asked, glancing down at her.

"No one, I'm done for the day."

Ikuto raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're seriously done for the day? From the way you talked, it was like you had a packed schedule."

Amu scowled at him. "I do. The day starts off with torturing those idiots, then I go back home and do whatever it is that I need to do. Then I have free time, and now that you're here, I have to torture you too."

"Oh, does that mean I actually get a straw mat to sleep on and newspaper to go to the bathroom on?" Ikuto sarcastically asked, rolling his eyes at the mere thought of how true the statement could be. Quickly and as unnoticeable as possible, Amu raised her elbow and sharply jabbed him in the gut. Ikuto clutched his stomach, doubled over from the breath being knocked out of him.

"No, sadly I have to give you some type of suitable living quarters." Amu said, not looking behind her as she kept walking forward. Ikuto followed after, rubbing the now sore spot on his stomach.

"Oh, happy days are here again."

"Shut up before I rip your tongue out."

* * *

 

After leaving where Tadase, Nagihiko, and Kairi were being held, Amu led Ikuto into what seemed to be a gardener's shop. Ikuto paused as Amu entered in, causing her to stop when she noticed him hesitating.

"What?" She asked, her arms crossed as she glared at him.

"Nothing. I just took you as a person who would rather kill flowers for fun, not take care of them." Ikuto stated, staring straight back into her own eyes. She huffed, rolling her eyes as she grabbed his wrist, dragging him into the store.

"It's a requirement for demons, idiot. We have to know what plants to use for certain things, like spells or potions or whatever you call them."

"So basically you do witch craft down here?"

"More or less, yes." Amu said, stopping in the middle of an aisle. She turned around to face him, looking at his face with a stern expression. "Now listen, I'm just here to pick up a few seeds that I need. You on the other hand, you're going to be having free time whenever I have it, and there's no way I'm letting you burn my house down. So pick out something, but be sure to clear them by _me_ first. Got it?"

"You know, you're really bossy." Ikuto said, glancing around at all the different types of flower seeds. Amu glared at him, turning on her heel to get what she needed.

"Just pick out some damn flowers you ass!"

* * *

 

Amu stood in front of a row of seeds, carrying little packages of what she needed in a shopping basket. "Let's see…Was it bittersweet I was low on, or Petunia? Or maybe it was marigold..? Gah, I need that damn list." Amu muttered, opening her messenger bag to dig through for the list. As she dug through her bag, she did not notice someone come behind her until their hand was placed on her shoulder.

Amu gasped, and instantly swung her shopping basket around to smack them in the side of the face. Her mystery person groaned, grabbing at the side of his now bruised face in pain. Amu blinked, before her eyes turned into a glare.

"What the hell is your problem Tsukiyomi?!" She demanded, glaring at him harshly, again hoping his head would spontaneously combust.

Ikuto looked at her as if she was insane. "My problem? I should be asking you that, oh demon who swings shopping baskets at innocent bystanders' faces."

"Oh whatever. Just tell me what the hell you came here to bug me for." Amu growled out, her arms crossed over her chest again. Ikuto dug through his pocket, picking out a packet of seeds for Amu to see.

"I found a packet of seeds. Happy now?" Ikuto asked, holding it out for her to see. He watched as she visibly stiffened, before she snatched the seeds right out of his hands and threw them down the aisle, almost as if they were on fire.

"You picked camellia? And, what's worse, white camellia?!" Amu hissed, glaring at him intensely. Ikuto stared back at her, a blank look in his eyes.

"Yeah, so what? Wait, let me guess; they're going to clash with your demonic garden of despair."Ikuto guessed, half joking and half serious. Amu blinked, comprehension dawning on her slowly.

"You really don't get what they mean, do you?" Amu asked, still staring at him while pointing at the little packet of seeds on the floor.

"No, why would I? Flowers are flowers; they have no real meaning behind them other than to stand there and look pretty." Ikuto stated, jabbing his thumb at the packet on the floor. Amu sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Well, looks like I have another thing to do during free time; teach you the meanings of flowers so you don't go and pick up some stupid ones like that."

"Why, do they mean 'I love you' or something cheesy like that?" Ikuto sarcastically asked, walking over and picking them up off the floor.

"No, they mean 'you're adorable'." Amu stated, watching his reaction to the fact. Ikuto slowly put the packet back on the shelf and then turned to face her.

"When exactly do you plan on starting those lessons?"

* * *

 

After their little shopping trip Amu, followed by Ikuto, reached her home where she would be forced to live with Ikuto. He looked up, noticing that it seemed to be a feudal era type home, with a one floor plan to it and tiled roofing. Amu walked up to the door, unlocking it and walking right inside.

She took off her shoes, whistling as she did so. "Girls, I'm home!" She called out, stepping into the house.

Ikuto looked around as he took off his own shoes. _"Girls? She shares this house with other people?"_

Just then, barking and scuffling could be heard as four dogs, the oldest seeming to have just gotten out of being a puppy, came running into the room, tails wagging and tongues hanging out. Ikuto blinked as he watched the four run up to Amu, jumping up at her and licking whatever part they could.

"Ran, Miki, Suu, Dia, sit!"Amu said, playfully pushing them down on the ground. The four dogs sat down immediately, giving their utmost attention to her.

"Dogs? And four of them at that? I thought your heart was as cold as stone?" Ikuto mused, watching as she patted them on their heads. She turned around, a scowl already set on her face.

"They're called Hellhounds moron. They're used to track down humans who have made deals with demons. When they're pups, they're basically useless and are the equivalence of your regular old mutt. So most times, demons get to raise them as pets, then hand them over when they're all grown-up and ready to tear souls limb from limb." Amu explained, standing next to what appeared to be the youngest out of the four. The four dogs nodded their heads in unison, seemingly agreeing with everything she said.

"Okay then…Mind introducing them in case I decide to sell one?" Ikuto asked, watching her reaction. "The roan one looks like it'd sell for a high price."

"Touch any of them, and your ass goes straight to Yukari."

"You really can't take a joke can you?"

Amu sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose again. "Not when it comes to things I take seriously. Now I'm only going to introduce them once, so pay attention."

"Mhm."

"This is Ran." She said, pointing at the roan and oldest dog. Ran barked, wagging her tail and panting happily.

"Huh, already she's getting on my nerves. And aren't cattle only supposed to be that color?" Ikuto mused, staring Ran down. Ran growled, walking promptly over to Ikuto, and biting into his leg fiercely. "Ow! Get this stupid mutt off me!" Ikuto growled out, trying to remove Ran himself.

Amu clapped her hands together, and Ran instantly removed herself, instead walking over to Amu. Amu knelt down in front of her, scratching her behind the ears and under the chin. "Good girl! Just for that, you get a treat tonight!" Amu praised, patting Ran on her head. Ran barked happily, her tail wagging at insane speeds.

Ikuto glared at Ran, who turned her head to look up at him innocently. "Just get on with the introductions." Ikuto muttered, no longer trusting Ran.

Amu rolled her eyes. "This is Miki." She said, pointing at an almost navy colored dog. Miki looked up at Ikuto, barked once, and then remained silent.

Ikuto blinked. "Well…That was anti-climatic." He stated, still keeping his eye on Miki in case she decided to do anything funny. Miki gave what seemed to be a shrug, not really showing interest.

"This is-" Before she could finish, the yellow dog barked happily, charging at Ikuto and knocking him to the ground. "..Suu."

Suu barked happily, slobbering Ikuto's face with wet kisses as she stood on his chest. Ikuto tried to push her face away, only to have her dive back in for more. "As much as I enjoy her love and attention, I'm about to drown here."Ikuto stated, making sure that Suu's tongue didn't come in contact with his.

Amu clapped her hands together, and Suu sadly retreated back to Amu. Amu patted her head, kneeling down in front of her. "Don't worry Suu, I'll put you on wake-up duty for him, okay?"She said, looking into the dog's eyes. Suu's eyes instantly lit up, and her tail began wagging crazily.

_"Great, I get to taste dog breath every morning."_ Ikuto thought, staring at Suu with slight disdain.

Amu walked over to the last one, a mixture of brown and orange, who appeared to be the youngest. "And last but not least, this is Dia." Amu said, finishing her introductions. Dia walked over to Ikuto and sniffed his hand, wagging her tail and giving him a lick on the face before walking back over to Amu.

"So, now that I'm introduced to everyone, do you mind showing me where I'll be hiding from them?" Ikuto asked, standing up and rubbing his back from when he was tackled to the ground. Ran growled at him, ready to go in for the kill again, but was stopped by Amu holding out her hand.

"Sure, but just know that every door here has a little doggie flap."Amu stated, walking towards where Ikuto's room was located. She smirked when she heard Ikuto's audible groan of disdain, most likely at the prospect of Suu waking him up every morning.


	6. Chapter 6

Ikuto lay on his bed, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. After being introduced to the other inhabitants of the household, Amu had given him a tour of the house, concluding with showing him his room.

_"There's the kitchen, outside's the garden, down the hall is the bathroom, and your room is here." Amu said, finally stopping in front of a door. She opened it, showing a simple room that really had nothing in it besides a dresser and a bed._

_Ikuto walked into the room, opening the dresser to see nothing in it. "I hope you're not expecting me to wear the same clothes for the rest of my stay here." Ikuto said, closing the drawer he opened._

_"Of course not. I'd rather be tortured than have to drag around a charge that looks and smells like a filthy hobo. We'll be going for your clothing tomorrow, so just bear with the fact that all you've got is what you're wearing." Amu scoffed, glaring at him_

_"Fine by me." Ikuto shrugged, lying down on the bed._

_Amu rolled her eyes, closing the door and leaving him there._

After that, he hadn't seen hide or hair of her pass by his room or anywhere else for that matter. The dogs he heard running through the halls at times, barking about one thing or another. Ikuto glanced out the window, seeing that it had become darker than before, so he guessed it was around evening.

_"It's basically like Earth,"_ He mused, still staring out the window. _"Except, no one's dying, there's just demons torturing their asses for all eternity."_

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his door opening and closing, so quietly that he could've thought he imagined it. He looked away from the window to see Amu standing there, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the wall. "What?"

"You should know what." She answered, keeping her gaze on him. Ikuto's eyebrow rose slightly, showing his confusion. Amu sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose for the umpteenth time that day. "You idiot, I'm talking about your punishment."

Ikuto blinked, watching as she began to stalk towards him. "How is it punishment when I'm on an actual bed in a normal room?"

"Oh, you'll see." Amu said, and snapped her fingers as she stood by the side of the bed. Suddenly, Ikuto could feel his wrists being bound to the bed and looked down to see that his legs had been spread and bound as well. He struggled to try and break free of his bonds.

"What the hell is this?"He demanded, watching as she began to climb onto the bed.

"Oh you know, just to make sure you don't try to run away or something along those lines." Amu said, her dagger pulled out into the open and being twirled between her fingers.

"Yes, because I'd love to just piss you off and cause myself more suffering." Ikuto said, rolling his eyes as sarcasm dripped from his voice. He gasped as he suddenly felt the dagger dig deep into his upper thigh, gritting his teeth as she slowly dragged it downwards.

"Now now, no need for that tone of voice. We wouldn't want to stain these sheets more than necessary, now would we?" Amu purred, watching as the blood seeped through his wound and stained his pant leg. She pulled the dagger out of his leg, ignoring his small grunt of discomfort. "Now then, where else should I go…? Ah, how about here?"Amu asked, stabbing his other thigh quickly.

Ikuto grit his teeth to keep from crying out. Amu looked up, a smirk displayed on her face as she dragged the dagger down his thigh. "Does it hurt Tsukiyomi? I'm sure this is nothing compared to what Utau went through though."

Ikuto held Amu's eyes in his gaze, his eyes displaying the pain he refused to release in shouts and cries. "Maybe yes, maybe no. Not like you would know now is it?"

Amu's smirk grew wider as she straddled him, her own thighs being smeared with his blood. "Oh, I think I can figure it out," Amu breathed, grabbing his chin in her hand and bringing her face close to his, "I just need to see for myself is all?"She whispered and soon his mouth was covered by hers.

Ikuto's eyes widened, as he felt her tongue forcibly enter his mouth. _"Didn't see that coming."_ He thought, watching as she pulled back with his own memory between her lips.

Amu plucked it from between her lips, beginning to stretch it and form it for her to view. "Now watch Ikuto, because this truth will be the icing on your damnation cake." She said, watching along with Ikuto as the screen played his memory.

* * *

 

_A door opened to a house, and in came a young blonde with her hair in pigtails. She walked in with some difficulty, seeing as how Ikuto was draped over her shoulder. "I swear Ikuto, if I get another call about having to pick you up because you're too drunk to come home yourself, you'll never be able to reproduce." She threatened, glaring at his head._

_Ikuto raised his head to look at her violet eyes, a haze over his own. "But Utau, drinkin' makes me feel all fuzzy n' warm inside. Plus it makes Higuchi funny." Ikuto slurred, a stupid grin spreading across her face._

_Utau rolled her eyes, dropping him on the couch. "If we weren't related, I'd kick your ass out onto the street by now."_

_Ikuto groaned, looking up at her from the couch. "You know you loves me."_

_"It's questionable."_

_"Your mom is questionable." Ikuto said, chuckling at his own insult._

_"We have the same mom idiot."_

_"Yeah well…Your dad!" He retorted, pointing a finger at Utau before falling off the couch and onto the floor. "Hey, where'd this floor come from?"_

_Utau pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. "God, having this idiot for a half-brother better be some divine retribution for something I've done."_

_"You know, from down here, you look kinda hot." Ikuto mumbled, propping himself onto his elbows to look at Utau from down on the floor. Utau blushed, before kicking Ikuto lightly in the side. "Ow…That hurt."_

_"It was supposed to. Now stop talking and go to sleep." Utau ordered, beginning to walk away from the couch. Ikuto grabbed onto her ankle and pulled, yanking her down onto the ground. "Ow! Ikuto, what the hell!?" She shouted, glaring at him._

_Ikuto grinned, his eyes beginning to cloud with lust. "You're not going anywhere."_

_"Wh-What do you mean by that?" Utau asked, cursing herself for stuttering. She couldn't afford to show weakness now, not when he was obviously up to no good._

_"I mean, you're not leaving until I fuck you into the floorboards." Ikuto growled, clambering on top of her. Utau's eyes widened her mouth opening to protest when Ikuto captured her lips with his. He swiftly entered his tongue into her mouth, his hands roaming all over her body._

_Utau thrashed beneath him, screams emitting from her mouth as he ripped her blouse open. She bit down hard onto his tongue, causing him to curse loudly as he pulled away. She placed her hands on his chest, ready to push him away until he pinned them above her head. He stared down at her, his eyes completely darkened by lust as she stared back, her eyes completely absorbed in fear. "You're not going anywhere little sis." He breathed, his free hand squeezing her breast._

_Utau gasped, her eyes squeezed shut as he began to ravish her neck. "I-Ikuto, get off! You're drunk; you don't know what the hell you're doing!" She shouted, thrashing beneath him as he slipped her shorts down her legs._

_"Oh, but I do know Utau. I know that I'm going to achieve an ideal amount of pleasure tonight by fucking your cunt mercilessly." Ikuto huskily breathed, leaning down to nibble on her earlobe. Utau shivered from pleasure against her will, cursing her body for reacting like that. Ikuto grinned devilishly as he slipped her underwear away from his prize._

_Utau clamped her legs shut, her thrashing beginning to become more aggressive. "Get off get off get off!" She screamed, tears beginning to burn at the corners of her eyes. Ikuto growled, suddenly slapping her across the face. Utau's thrashings stilled completely, her legs going limp and the tears falling freely._

_"Stop screaming, because no one will hear you. You're just being a useless annoying little nuisance, so just shut up and let me fuck you."_

_Utau only stared at Ikuto, her mind in shock at the words that passed through his lips. She barely registered him thrusting into her, or the rough way with which her body was handled as he gained his own pleasure. She instead focused on her thoughts of why she was going through this and if what he said was true, instead of the revolting sounds of Ikuto's pleasured moans above her._

_Ikuto began to move faster, his thrusts becoming more frantic as he neared his pleasured peak_. "Tight…So good…" _He thought, forcing his thrusts to be harder. Finally, he groaned loudly as he came, filling her with his semen as she gasped._

_"Ikuto!" She gasped the tears free falling from her eyes as he filled her. His eyes stared down into hers, a sudden flicker of sanity showing behind the drunken lustful haze_.

"Oh God…What have I done?" _Was the last thought he had before blissfully passing out into the darkness._

* * *

 

Amu watched as Ikuto's face was the perfect definition of horrified and disgusted as the smoke evaporated. "Well then, how do you feel now? Do you realize everything you put Utau through now that you see it with more sober eyes? You really are a twisted little fuck aren't you?" Amu said, utter glee twinkling in her eyes as stars would against the nighttime sky.

Ikuto turned his head away from her, ashamed of what he had seen. _"Utau…God, Utau…I'm such an idiot."_ He thought the guilt of having hurt her crashing down on him, wave after wave of agonizing mental anguish. Amidst his guilt, Ikuto gasped as he felt Amu stroke him down in his crotch, having unzipped his pants and slipped her fingers in there.

"My my, and you're hard from watching that too," She mused, watching as his eyes gained a horrified look from her statement. Whether it was actually true didn't matter; he had to suffer, and she'd be damned twice over if it didn't happen, "You really are twisted, aren't you? You deserve to be down here more than any of those other sick little shits."

"Just shut up and get it over with already." Ikuto muttered, refusing to look at her. Amu pouted, grasping his chin in her hands again to force him to stare at her.

"I'll go at whatever pace I feel like Tsukiyomi, so shut it and let me have my fun." She breathed, and suddenly a searing burning pain was felt where her hand had once been. She grinned as he gritted his teeth together with force, continuing her slashing at his erection with her dagger. Satisfied by the amount of blood she felt soaking her hand, Amu slammed herself down on him, enjoying the gasp of pain that was elicited from Ikuto's mouth.

"Nng…G-Get off me." Ikuto groaned, beginning to thrash beneath her. A devilish glint came into Amu's eyes, her hand grasping his hair harshly to hold his head in place.

"I don't think I will. This pain is nothing compared to what Utau felt, and you know it. I'm supposed to make you feel what she felt, and this is only the tip of the iceberg pal." Amu said, beginning to ride his bloody shaft as roughly as she could. Ikuto groaned in pain, biting his bottom lip hard to keep his pained sounds in. Amu grinned, her bloodied nails dragging themselves harshly across his face, cutting open the flesh for more blood to seep onto his skin.

Ikuto tried to focus on anything besides the excruciating pain coming from his groin, even if it meant focusing instead on the nails clawing at his face. The scent of his blood was overwhelming to his nostrils, causing breathing to be almost impossible for him. The only respite he had was the feeling of Amu's surprisingly soft skin brushing against his own flushed and battered body.

"Guess all that blood splatter does something for the skin." He thought wincing as she landed particularly hard on his crotch. Suddenly, he felt his body tense, and tasted his own blood as he bit down hard enough to keep from screaming from the excruciating pain he felt as he went through orgasm.

Amu pulled herself off him as he came, watching as his cum mixed with his blood, causing him to wince as it ran into his open wounds. "Your torture's complete," Amu said, walking towards the door and opening it. "Now go to sleep Tsukiyomi." She added, closing the door as she left.

Ikuto lay on the bed, his arms and legs free from their binds as he just stared at the ceiling and thought. _"How in God's name am I supposed to save a monster like that?"_

* * *

 

Amu quietly entered her room, sliding the door closed quietly. Dia picked her head up to watch Amu, her ears perking from hearing the door closed. Amu smiled over at Dia, waving the hand that wasn't carrying the bottle. "Hey Dia. Want to keep me company as I get shitfaced?"

Dia walked over to Amu, hopping on the bed as Amu promptly lay down. She promptly opened the bottle, bringing the liquor to her mouth to take a large swig in one gulp. Her throat burned from the alcohol, but she sucked it up and wiped her mouth clean. She turned on her side, scratching Dia behind her ears.

"You know, I really hate this job." She stated, before taking another swig from the bottle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...High school me was a bit of a twisted fuck, ngl.


	7. Chapter 7

Suu padded down the hall, her nose to the floor as she tried to locate Ikuto's room. She stopped in front of a door, her tail beginning to wag happily. She bounded through the dog door into the room, jumping on his bed to commence the morning slobber routine.

Ikuto groaned as Suu licked his face without mercy. "Get off me you mutt," He muttered, pushing her face away from his. Suu sat there, watching with her green puppy eyes as he sat up, wiping his face clean of slobber. He turned his head to look at her, causing Suu to cock her head to the side. "If you're done, you can leave now."

Suu barked, jumping on top of Ikuto again. He fell back on the bed, his eyes meeting with her shining green. "Are you always like this, or is it just me?" He muttered, running his hands through his hair. Suu barked again, and Ikuto finally noticed that she had a paper tucked into her collar. Ikuto pulled it out, unfolding it and beginning to read it.

_Dear moron,_

_Since you're living here now, you're going to do your share of the work. Maybe more even more if I'm in a bad mood. So here's your list of things to do for the rest of eternity._

_1\. Feed Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia their breakfast._

_2\. Feed yourself and clean up after them._

_3\. Clean your room, because I'm not doing it for you._

_4\. Go take Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia for a walk._

_5\. Whatever else I come up with when you get back_

Ikuto sighed, crumpling the paper up. Suu cocked her head to the side before giving him a wet kiss on the face. Ikuto grunted, before looking over at Suu, who's eyes were staring right back at his. "I'm up you know. No need for the dog breath anymore."

Suu barked, her tail wagging a mile a minute as she jumped off the bed and trotted out the door. Ikuto watched her leave, before getting himself out of bed. He noticed there was a mirror in his room, leaning against the opposite side of the room.

_"Might as well see what damage she did to me last night."_ He thought, going over to look in it.

What he saw in the mirror wasn't as bad as he imagined. The gashes and blood stains on his pants easily reminded him of her slashing at him the night before, but the wounds she had inflicted were practically nothing but scars now. He figured that by the time noon came around, there wouldn't be any outside signs of last night. He looked at his face, not at all shocked to see the scars along his cheeks, his blood having begun to wash off slightly due to Suu's slobber. He sighed, hearing the dogs begin to bark and play with each other in the kitchen.

_"Better get their food, or face the wrath of temperamental demons."_ Ikuto thought, heading to the kitchen.

* * *

 

Ran's ears perked as she heard Suu race towards her. When she turned to look at her, Suu nodded her head that Ikuto was officially up. Ran nodded, barking at Miki and Dia, who were wrestling around together on the floor, demanding their attention.

Dia stopped her movements, looking at Ran with curious eyes from atop Miki. Miki pushed Dia off her before looking at Ran, causing Dia to give a short yelp. Suu cocked her head to the side innocently, while Ran rolled her eyes in a manner similar to that of Amu's.

Miki growled lightly, her ears pulled back slightly in annoyance. Ran rolled her eyes again, and quietly barked out a plan. As she told them her plan, Dia's eyes lit up with pure innocence as her tail wagged rapidly, seemingly agreeing with everything she said. Miki shook her head, sighing at how Ran was taking advantage of Dia's complete trust and innocence as a young pup.

Ran glanced over at Miki, demanding an answer from her. Miki looked at her with apathetic eyes, showing nothing was wrong and she might as well do it. Ran's tail began to wag, as she turned her head to seek approval of the plan from Suu. Suu's eyes were cast down on the floor, her ears drooping sadly. Ran growled, causing her to look up at Ran with sad eyes. She whined, laying her head on her front paws, keeping eye contact with Ran at all times. Ran glared as she walked over to Suu and bit her on the leg. Suu yelped, jumping away from Ran and rushing behind Miki. She cowered as Ran barked loudly at her, wincing slightly from her tone of voice. Suu whimpered, nodding her head to indicate she understood.

Ran's tail wagged at insane speeds, proud that everyone was on board for the operation. Her tail only seemed to gain speed as she heard Ikuto open and close his door to his room.

* * *

 

Ikuto walked down the hallway towards the kitchen, where he noticed that Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia were sitting on the floor. They sat perfectly straight, their tails resting on the floor as they gave him their utmost attention with innocent eyes.

"…You guys aren't planning on eating me, are you?" Ikuto asked, looking at all four of them warily. They each shook their heads in unison, only freaking him out a little more than he was before, "Right…Anyway, that list said I have to feed you, so someone mind showing me where your puppy chow is?"

Ran barked, looking at Dia. She barked happily in reply, running over to a cabinet and pawing at it insistently. Ikuto walked over to it, kneeling down and opening it. Inside, just as Dia knew, was the dog food for them.

"Well, maybe you guys are good for something after all." He muttered, scratching Dia behind her ears. Dia's tail wagged happily, as she looked over at the others and stuck her tongue out. Ran growled low in her throat, earning a worried look from Suu for Dia's safety, and an uncaring look from Miki. Ikuto turned to look back at them, only to see three puppies sitting in a row, waiting for their food. He shook off the thought that he heard growling, getting up and beginning to fill the bowls on the counter with food.

Dia walked back over to the three, nudging Ran with her head. Ran shook her head, indicating that they weren't doing anything to him yet. Dia nodded, walking over to her spot behind Suu in the row. Ikuto walked to them, carrying both food and water bowls.

"Alright, here's your breakfast." He said, placing the bowls in front of them. The four immediately began to eat, getting more food on the floor than in their mouths. _"I can see why I'm going to have to clean up after them."_ He thought, turning towards the refrigerator after watching the fiftieth spill of dog food onto the floor. He opened the fridge, only to be greeted with carton after carton of eggs, and many gallons of milk.

"Hopefully she's up for food suggestions…Because this is ridiculous…" Ikuto grumbled, pulling out a half empty carton of milk, some eggs, and a stick of butter he managed to dig out from behind the army of eggs. He got everything else that was needed, which was a pan, bowl, whisk, knife, and a loaf of bread. He walked over to the stove, turning it on to a medium heat. He set the pan down, cutting some of the butter off the stick and placing it into the pan to melt.

Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia glanced up at him, watching as he cooked breakfast. Dia looked over at Ran, who nodded that the plan was still going to happen. Suu whined lightly, which was answered by a low growl from Ran. Miki ignored them all, continuing to enjoy her breakfast in ignorant peace.

Ikuto cracked the eggs into the bowl, adding the milk into it and whisking it all together until it made a frothy egg mixture. He then took three pieces of bread, dipping each piece one at a time in the egg until both sides were wet and yellow. He placed each piece into the pan separately, cooking them on one side until it was a golden brown, and then flipping them over to cook them on the other side.

Ran sniffed the air, enjoying the smell of the French toast being cooked. She glanced over at Suu and Dia, who seemed to be enjoying the scent just as much as she was. She looked over at Miki, her eyes narrowing when she saw that Miki hadn't even given her attention to the delicious smell, instead focusing on the food in front of her. Ran sighed to herself, mentally scolding Miki for not enjoying the rare smell of French toast being cooked. She just could not seem to appreciate the fact since Amu rarely ever took the time to make anything besides some variation of the classic scrambled egg.

Ikuto finished making his breakfast, setting all the utensils in the sink as he sat at the table to enjoy his breakfast. Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia, having finished theirs, ran off somewhere in the house to do something that Ikuto wasn't keen on finding out at the moment. He sighed, noticing the mess they had made, and decided to eat quickly so as to be able to hurry from the house to walk them, unless of course he wanted to meet a morning Amu. And call it a hunch, but he had a funny feeling that she wasn't a morning person.

* * *

 

_"Now all that's left is to walk the dogs."_ Ikuto thought, closing the door to his room. He had put the sheets in the hamper of the bathroom, considering they were bloodied from the night before, and then washed off the blood from his face completely. He walked to the front door, noticing that Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia were already there waiting for him to walk them.

"Huh, maybe you're not as evil as I think you are." He thought aloud, grabbing their leashes and connecting each one onto the back of their collars. As he did so, he didn't notice the look that Ran gave the other three, who nodded slightly in response. Ikuto opened the door, allowing the four to walk out ahead of him as he held onto the leashes to make sure they didn't get away.

Ran took one last glance at Dia, who barked happily, Suu, who whimpered lowly, and Miki, who gave a slight shrug. Ran's eyes glinted with evil as she gave a loud bark, causing Ikuto to raise his eyebrow in question. Just as he did though, the four dogs in front of him broke out into a full speed sprint, causing him to grasp their leashes with both hands to keep from losing them.

"Heel," He shouted, trying to stop them. "Down! Stop! Damn it, I said heel!"

* * *

 

Amu grumbled, opening her eyes as she woke up to the sunlight hitting her. She stretched, noticing that she still held the bottle in her hand. She pulled it closer to her face, giving a slight smirk as she realized it was completely empty.

"About time I could down a whole bottle of whiskey before passing out." Amu said, proud of herself as she dumped the empty bottle into a trashcan. She got up, staggering a bit as the nausea began to set in.

"And this is the downside to a hangover." Amu muttered, heading over to her closet to find something to wear. She pulled out a black long sleeved top, with short sleeves covering the thin long sleeves. The collar seemed to be inspired by a school girl uniform, being lined with pink plaid and having a pink plaid bow in the center.

Amu shrugged, stripping herself of her kimono top and pulling the shirt over her head. _"Better than nothing, and most certainly better than what Tsukiyomi is wearing."_ She thought, pulling off the short plaid skirt that was hung with the top. She pulled off the skirt from yesterday and changed into the one that she had chosen for today. She walked over to her dresser, yanking a drawer open and pulling a pair of black thigh high socks out. She switched the pair before taking her hair out of the x-clip holding it up, and instead doing it in side ponytail with the rest of her hair staying down.

As she finished dressing and putting her clothes away, the sound of someone knocking came from her front door. Amu groaned as she hurried to answer it, knowing they wouldn't like to be kept waiting. Amu opened the door the minute she reached it, seeing a small boy with blond hair staring up at her with his big blue eyes.

"Amu-nee-san, Grandpa Kazu wants you to come down to our house right away." He said, his voice indicating he was no older than six years old.

"And to what do I owe your gramps the pleasure of my company?"

"There's a big blue haired guy there, and he's got your doggies running around him and mucking up Grandpa's yard." He explained, using his hands to emphasize certain parts of the story. Amu groaned, beginning to bang her head against the wall, "What's wrong Amu-nee-san?"

"It's nothing Hikaru," Amu sighed, turning back to face him. "Just take me to the idiot."

* * *

 

Amu could only stare at what she saw before her. It wasn't stunning but it wasn't hideous. It was, in simplest terms, an amazing disaster that only her Hellhounds could create.

Dia ran around the yard, chasing after a flying speck of dust that was being blown by her chasing it. Ran was busy rolling around in the grass, her tongue lolling out as her tail wagged happily. Suu chased after her tail, growling every time she came close to catching it but had just missed it. And Miki lay next to a disgruntled looking Ikuto, who seemed to be covered in mud, leaves, and branches.

Amu sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she whistled. "Oi! Ran, Miki, Suu, Dia! Get over here now!"She yelled out, clapping her hands together for emphasis. The four dogs instantly came running to her, stopping just a foot in front of her. She sighed again, and began to walk towards Ikuto, who was glaring at all four dogs with hatred.

"I really hate those mutts," Ikuto growled, glaring at each one individually. Suu and Dia cowered behind Miki, who didn't seem to be affected at all, "And I especially hate _that_ one!" He spat, pointing at Ran, who was looking quite proud of herself.

Amu rolled her eyes, scratching behind Ran's ears. "Listen, just because you can't walk four dogs at one time does not mean you can blurt out hate filled excuses."

"You didn't see it. That little rat barked, and then all four of them bolted! Next thing I know, I'm being dragged through hedges, bushes, mud puddles, and even under some fat asses skirt!"

"…You mean Nobuko-sensei?"

"Whatever the hell her name is, she needs a diet," Ikuto grumbled, getting up and dusting himself off. "And finally, when I think all is said and done, these mutts drag me here and then run off to do their own stupid thing! Except that blue one, she had the dignity to take a shit on me and then sit down next to me."

"Wow…"

"Exactly."

"I never knew you guys were such evil little geniuses!" Amu exclaimed petting and scratching each of them everywhere she could reach. Ikuto sighed, realizing that it would've been hopeless to complain to her about something that brought him suffering; it _was_ her job to do so after all.

Amu stood up and began taking a good look at Ikuto. His hair was disheveled and had sticks and leaves sticking out of it every which way. His shirt and pants were torn and stained in places due to being dragged everywhere. And his skin had dirt and scratches all over it from what she guessed was being dragged on the grass and cement.

Ikuto noticed her giving him a look over. "Yes, it's terrible. You don't have to give any smart remarks about it."

"Whatever, I was just going to drag you back anyway."Amu stated, turning around to head back home. "Though, since you said so, you do look like something the cat dragged in, puked, and took a shit on."

Ikuto inwardly groaned, silently wishing there was a way he could kill himself. _"And the day has only just begun."_

* * *

 

Finally, after a walk that seemed to take centuries to finish, Ikuto had finally returned to Amu's house. He hated that walk more than anything, having to parade around Hell looking like a disheveled mess, people whispering and pointing at them as they passed. But for some reason that he couldn't place Amu had turned to glare at them coldly, causing them to cower and scurry away quickly. He looked at the back of her head, watching as she unlocked the door for them to enter inside.

_"Why would she do that?"_ He thought, trying to think up of some plausible reason. A memory from the night before suddenly hit him, giving him a hint at the answer.

_'Of course not. I'd rather be tortured than drag around a charge that looks and smells like a filthy hobo.'_

_"Well that explains that."_ Ikuto thought, looking down at his appearance, which really did resemble that of a hobo sleeping in the bushes.

Amu unlocked the door, and walked inside, quickly yanking him in as well while Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia followed after. She closed the door, walking past him and into the kitchen.

"Go take a shower and raid my closet for some form of masculine clothing," She commanded, opening the refrigerator and pulling out a few eggs and the carton of milk Ikuto had used that morning. "If you can't, then find the manliest skirt and just come in here to wait. Got it?" She asked, closing the fridge and looking at him.

He sighed, finding no use in arguing with her. "Yeah, though I highly doubt _your_ clothes would fit _me_." He pointed out, gesturing at the two of them and their differences. Amu was small, petite, a feminine body minus the breasts. Ikuto on the other hand was tall, having about a foot of a growth spurt ahead of her, and while lean still had the muscular build that most boys developed.

"So the shirt will squeeze your chest, big whoop," Amu said, turning on the stove and pulling out a pan. "Just suck it up and take it like a man Tsukiyomi. You've got worse things to deal with than whether or not a pair of my shorts will be riding up your ass."

* * *

 

Amu finished and cleaned up the dishes, hearing the water stop running a few minutes after she put away the dishes. _"It's going to take him a long while to pick out something suitable to wear from my closet,"_ She thought smirking to herself as she headed outside into the garden. _"I have plenty of time to do what needs to be done for today."_

She quickly walked past the rows of flowers in the garden, only having the essential flowers that she needed for her work. She noted that in a far corner in the back of the garden was enough room to occupy Ikuto with when she wanted him far away from her. She opened the shed, checking to make sure Ikuto was still inside the house, before slipping inside it.

On the outside, it seemed to be a regular gardening shed: Tan walls, brown roof, little windows on the side, and a door to let someone in. On the inside, however, was a different story: It had gardening tools, such as shovels, trowels, and hoes. But they were all on one side of the shed. On the other side were shelves, all filled with containers of different liquids with different dates and names labeled on them. And that was the side that Amu headed to immediately.

She pulled a purple liquid from the shelf, checking the date on it. "Hmm…It's not ready yet…Maybe this one would be?" She wondered aloud, pulling a second vial off the shelf. She checked the date, her eyes beginning to shine brightly.

"Aha! That's perfect! Now I just need to find the other vials with this same date on them." She said searching the shelves for the vials needed. She ended up pulling seven vials from the shelves; a container of a purple liquid, a container of hot pink, a container of orange, a container of bright neon orange, a container of light green, a container of white, and a container of red.

"There we go! All the plants I need, right here, with perfect dates on them!" Amu said, picking up a vial that was labeled as 'Asphodel'. She carried the seven over to a little table, the only things on it being a dropper and small roll beeswax. She placed the vials on the table, opening them all and allowing their scents to permeate the air.

She inhaled deeply, before grabbing the dropper and sucking up the liquid from the vial labeled 'Petunia'. "Now then, let's get started." She said, and began to drop certain amounts of certain liquids onto the beeswax while reciting something that was rooted deep in her memory.

"Six six six. It starts with anger, evolves to hate, and then you are forsaken. Cruelty strikes, you soon regret, and then are separated. And then you'll lie, but I will see, the truth of your tragedy." Amu recited, dropping in a specific order certain numbers of drops, causing the beeswax to change color as it absorbed the liquid. When she had finally finished, it was a gray color, instead of the pale looking cream that is usually associated with beeswax.

Amu put the stoppers back into the vials, returning them to their proper places on the shelves. She picked up the beeswax, putting it carefully into a lipstick tube, turning the bottom to make sure that it rose. When it she saw that she did, she quickly placed it in her pocket, satisfied with the results. She walked over to the door, opening it to be greeted by sunlight and Ikuto.

She stopped dead in her tracks, giving him a glance over as he stood in her clothing. He wore an obviously too tight purple striped t-shirt, the buttons to the top of it being undone, with a pink shirt showing underneath it. With it he wore black shorts with red edges, obviously riding up in places that shorts shouldn't on a guy.

"I'm dressed, now let's go. Your pants are giving me a very uncomfortable wedgie." Ikuto stated, staring down at her. Amu rolled her eyes, briskly walking past him looking absolutely ridiculous.

"Whatever, just suck it up; The clothing store is a nice long walk from here." Amu said, turning back to give him a smirk as she walked into the kitchen and towards the front door.

Ikuto sighed, walking through the garden so that he could end his torment in this demon's clothing. He glanced back at the shed, though, and unclenched his hand that held a piece of paper in it, something that on it seemed to be a recipe.

_6 drops of Petunia_   
_6 drops of Orange Lily_   
_6 drops of Anemone_   
_5 drops of Marigold_   
_4 drops of Asphodel_   
_3 drops of Wormwood_   
_10 drops of Bittersweet_

Ikuto smirked, knowing that whatever the recipe was for, it obviously did involve Amu. He didn't know how it did, or why it did, all he knew was that since she held up a vial of Asphodel back in that shed, she was somehow connected to this. And he planned on finding out exactly how this recipe pertained to her, even if she was going to smash his head in.

After all, cats were naturally born curious, and Ikuto Tsukiyomi had been compared to a cat more often than not in his life. But unlike most cats, he had more lives than he could spare down here, and he planned on making them be worth more than making him the butt of every joke.


	8. Chapter 8

Ikuto watched as Amu finished her session with Kairi, his blood coating the floor again. Amu wiped her dagger clean, smirking down at the bloodied mess that was Kairi.

"Well, you're done for the day. And stop getting blood all over my shoes." She muttered, kicking him in the side to move him away from her. He groaned in pain, clutching his side tightly as she exited the room. Amu walked past Ikuto, seemingly not paying him any mind at all. He looked down at Kairi, who was now looking back at him with his blue eyes.

"So…You figure out what that piece of paper I gave you is for?" Kairi asked, grunting as he moved himself into an upright position.

"It's some sort of potion of crazy mixture that she uses for something that I can only assume is a weird lip balm." Ikuto stated, remembering his observations from the shed's window when she had created it.

"You're half right," Kairi stated, his back resting as comfortably as it could against stone walls. "What she was making was a formula passed down for generations through the Sanjou household. Drink it, and you can recall whatever memory you want to recall, though it's usually used in recalling memories that need to be dealt with professionally."

"How would she know it then," Ikuto asked. "Last time I checked, her last name was Hinamori, not Sanjou."

"I guess Yukari-nee-san brought it down here with her," Kairi guessed, shrugging his shoulders. "As far as I can tell, before she came down here they just used physical torments on the victims. But with this, they're able to emotionally damage them as well."

"How nice of them, evening out the physical pain with mental anguish as well." Ikuto sarcastically said, causing Kairi to chuckle slightly. "Besides, don't memory potions have to be drunk by the person who wants to remember?"

"That's the thing; Yukari-nee-san apparently developed the lip balm method that you see used. They recite a little incantation every time they add a drop of a certain flower onto the beeswax, giving it that little magical kick to it. Then the person applies it to their lips, so that when they kiss their target they can insert the potion into the target. Then, pull out the memory, and force everybody to watch."

"How wonderful it must be to have everyone watch you cheat on your girlfriend." Ikuto muttered, leaning back against the wall.

"I appreciate the sympathy within your sarcasm Ikuto-san." Kairi said, give him a small smile. Ikuto nodded, pushing himself off the wall and heading towards the door.

"No problem." He said, closing the door behind him.

* * *

 

"And you were doing so well too," Amu muttered, walking back to her house with Ikuto. "Coming out briskly and on time, I almost felt bad for having to torture you tonight. But no, you went and took your sweet old time with Kairi, and now I'm pissed at you again. You're a sick little masochist aren't you?"

"I'll be whatever I can be in order to please you, oh mistress." Ikuto said in an overdramatic tone of voice. Amu swung her messenger bag, successfully hitting Ikuto in the middle of his stomach. "Must you hit so hard?"

"If it keeps you in line, then yes." Amu replied, looking over her shoulder before continuing onwards. "Now come on, I'm sure Suu is missing your face to slobber on."She mentioned pleased at the groan she heard come from Ikuto.

"You know, I think you're taking too much pleasure out of using me as a punching bag." Ikuto grumbled, still following her as he held his stomach.

"Well, there's not much else to do down here, so watching you writhe in pain is suitable entertainment."

"I'm glad I can be of service to you." Ikuto muttered, sarcasm practically dripping from the end of that sentence.

"You should be." She said, stopping at the door to her house. When she entered the house, however, she stopped dead in her tracks at what she saw.

Hikaru was sitting on the floor, tossing a toy bone down the hallway as Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia chased after it. Hikaru looked over at her, ignorant of the incessant barking as the dogs raced each other.

"Hi Amu-nee-san." He said waving at her as Ran came back, the bone in her mouth. She proudly dropped it at his feet, only to be tackled by Dia and Suu immediately afterwards. Amu closed the door, Ikuto staring at the small child in front of them.

"How did you get in here? And more importantly, _why_ are you here?" Amu asked, looking down at Hikaru with her arms crossed sternly across her chest. Hikaru dug through his pockets, searching until finally finding and pulling out an ordinary looking key.

"Grandpa Kazu gave me this special key because he wanted me to get out of the office. He said he had a very important dealing to go through, and that even though I should be watching for when I take over, I was much too young at the moment to watch. So I came here instead." Hikaru explained, looking up at Ikuto. "Who's that?"

"This is Ikuto, the idiot who got dragged around Hell by four Hellhound puppies." Amu said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at him. Hikaru got up off the floor, walked over towards him, and scrunched up his face to look up at him.

"I don't like him." Hikaru stated, after staring at Ikuto for a few minutes. "He looks like someone you shouldn't talk to Amu-nee-san."

"Well, I can't really pick and choose who I want, now can I?" Amu sighed, ruffling his hair. "I have to take whoever your gramps or Nobuko-sensei gives to me, whether I like them or not."

"Do you like him?"Hikaru asked, pointing at Ikuto, his voice completely serious. Amu burst out laughing, almost doubled over from the force of the laugh.

"Like _him_? Oh Hikaru, don't worry. You stand a better chance of getting me to like you than he ever will." Amu said, straightening up from her laughter. Hikaru walked over to her, holding out his pinky.

"Do you swear upon the life of your pinky that you mean it?" He asked, looking up at her with dead seriousness in his eyes. Amu gave him something that Ikuto figured could resemble a smile, as she hooked her left pinky his and placed her right hand over her heart.

"I, Hinamori Amu, do solemnly swear that you, Ichinomiya Hikaru, have more of a chance at winning my heart than Tsukiyomi would ever have while spending eternity here." She stated, giving a firm shake with his pinky. Hikaru gave a small smile, unhooking his pinky from hers. "Good," He said, turning to leave out the door.

"I'm leaving now. Bye." He said, and left without another word.

"And here I was thinking that children were pure…" Ikuto muttered, looking at Hikaru's retreating form. "What did he do for someone so young?"

"He was born a demon." Amu stated, walking into the house and patting Miki on the head as she passed by her. Ran was instantly at her heels, begging for attention as well.

"No seriously, what did he do?"

"I told you, he was born a demon." Amu repeated, opening the refrigerator to retrieve milk. When she closed the door, she saw a confused look in Ikuto's eyes. She sighed, placing the carton on the counter, staring at him with her hands on her hips.

"He didn't do anything. He is, as you would humans say, an actual demon. Born, raised, and trained in the arts of a demon. I guess you could call him one of Satan's purebloods or whatever you'd call it." Amu said, waving her hand dismissively. "Point is, he's a pureblood demon, and as such is able to use powers the likes you've never seen."

"Uh-huh…"Ikuto said, walking into the kitchen and sitting at the table. "And this so called 'Grandpa Kazu'?"

"Demon, just like Hikaru, and just like Nobuko-sensei."

"I see…And what are you then?" He asked, staring at her back. He noticed the way she stiffened slightly, before her posture relaxed itself to its original stance.

"Human gone demon," She stated, stopping her movements. "I'm not a demon due to not being pureblood, and I'm not a human because of choosing to become this."

"And what is 'this'?" Ikuto asked, pushing further. Anything he could find would probably aid him in fulfilling the requests of Tadase, Nagihiko, and Kairi.

"This," Amu started, her grip on the counter getting tighter. "This is someone who, after countless amounts of time being tortured, finally lost whatever shred of humanity was left and became immune to whatever the bastards threw at them. This is someone who _because_ of that immunity chose to become a sick little twisted shit they are, because they lost the compassion and sympathy they had after having hot irons shoved at them in every place imaginable by some crazy bitch. 'This' is broken, 'this' is something that no one can forgive. Answer your question?" She asked, not turning to face him.

Ikuto didn't answer, instead favoring to continuing a staring contest with her back. Amu growled, harshly opening the refrigerator door and shoving the carton of milk back in without having poured anything.

"Just forget it and you better be ready for a knife shoved your ass." Amu spat, storming out of the kitchen and down the hall towards her room. Ikuto heard the door to her room open and close harshly, surprised that it hadn't been ripped from the wall. He looked down at Miki, who was staring back up at him with uncaring eyes.

"Well, that was obviously a touchy subject." Ikuto said, absentmindedly scratching Miki behind her ears. Miki yawned, opting to lie down at his feet as an answer.

* * *

 

Amu leaned against the door, her eyes casted down at the floor. Her hands were tightly balled into fists, the skin spread tightly across her snow white knuckles. Her bottom lip was harshly bitten between her teeth, so harshly that she swore she could taste blood. She was caught up in trying to keep everything in, so caught up in it that she barely noticed the feeling of something rolling down her cheek. When she saw a drop of water fall to the floor, she quickly raised her hand to her face, wiping it away. She then stared at her hand, almost denying herself what she saw.

_"I'm crying,"_ She thought, still staring at her hand in shock. Her eyes narrowed to slits, as her hand balled back into a fist, this one tighter than before. She turned around, immediately beginning to punch the wall in front of her.

_"I cannot cry! Crying is a useless emotion that only stupid weak little shits have!"_ She thought fiercely, still continuing her onslaught on the wall even when there began to be red stains forming. She glared harshly, giving the wall one last hard punch before stopping. She glanced at her knuckles, noticing they were bleeding from repeatedly punching the wall. She scoffed, walking over to her bed and plopping down onto it.

"Just a little blood," Amu thought, giving them one last glance. _"Little baby wounds like these will heal in less time than it took to make them."_ She finished, sitting up on the bed to push her back against the wall. She glanced over at the mirror, looking at her own reflection in it. Her eyes slightly red, small signs of tear tracks visible on her face, and her bottom lip looking abused after biting it so hard.

_"Heh, Yukari would have a fucking field day with this."_ Amu thought, leaning her head back against the wall. Her mind instantly flashed with memories, though they flashed against her will as they usually would.

* * *

 

_Amu's head drooped against her chest, her eyes closed as she tried to get what little sleep she was allowed. Even then the sleep wasn't comfortable, considering she was tied to a wooden stake, splinters burying themselves constantly in her bare back. She didn't hear the door open, but she did feel the forceful slap that woke her up._

_"Wake up you stupid little bitch," A female voice growled out, yanking her head up by the roots of her hair. Amu's eyes opened, dull lifeless amber meeting the sharp steel of blue._

_Amu opened her mouth to speak, only to be silenced with another slap. "Don't speak unless I tell you to, got it?" She asked, glaring hard at Amu. Amu nodded silently, still keeping eye contact with her._

_"Good. Now then, that hard-ass director Kazuomi decided to offer you a chance at freedom from this lifestyle. Speak." She commanded her voice as cold as her eyes and dripping with venom. Amu licked her lips, swallowing so as to gain some part of her voice to answer._

_"Is that so?" She croaked out, her voice so used to screaming and incoherent sounds that making actual conversation was almost difficult._

_"Yeah, apparently you've become 'unresponsive to my best techniques', or however the fuck he put it. Either way, he's offering you a chance to get out of here, and to let you come under my wing as an apprentice demon. Do you accept?" She demanded, giving Amu's hair a forceful yank for no apparent reason._

_"…Yes." Amu whispered, her eyes breaking contact with the ice blue. The woman smirked, dropping Amu's head and walking behind her to untie her._

_"Good," She said while cutting at the ropes, making sure to cut Amu's hands and legs while at it. "You'll be living with me now, and you'll be learning all the ways of the demon. Of course, you're not really a demon."_

_Amu's head shot up, her hands still rubbing her raw wrists. "Wh-What? B-But I thought..."_

_The female's voice rang out in laughter. "You seriously thought you were going to become a_ demon _?! You stupid little bitch, the only demons around here are the ones either cast down from heaven or the ones Satan made with his two hands." She explained, standing in front of Amu with her hands on her hips, sneering down at her._

_"Th-Then what am I now?" Amu asked, looking up at the sneering face of the woman. The sneer grew wider as she bent down to stare straight into Amu's eyes, her face only a few inches away from hers._

_"You have no name. You're just called a human gone demon. And if you're wondering what that is, then I'll tell you right now: A human gone demon is an unfeeling little shit that became immune to everything that was done to them. And then they chose to become a 'demon', because they can't think of the pain they'll be putting countless numbers of others through, they're only thinking about themselves. A human gone demon is a pathetic broken soul, the epitome of weak and disgusting. And after becoming a human gone demon, nothing they do will ever be forgiven, no matter how much they try to repent."_

* * *

 

Amu gripped the sheets of the bed tightly, some of her blood spilling onto it. In one fluent motion, Amu was opening the cabinet of her bedside table, pulling out a large bottle of some alcoholic beverage. She unscrewed the top, putting the bottle to her lips and taking a large swig.

_"That idiot better be grateful I'm getting shitfaced now instead of later."_ Amu thought harshly, as the liquid slid its way down her throat to burn the unpleasant memories away.

* * *

 

Ikuto was in his room, wondering two things as he lay on the bed. One, why was it taking Amu so long to get in there? And two, if it was taking her this long to get in there, then what evil, painful, torturous idea could she have formulated?

_"God, if you actually listen to people down here, send someone to smite me now."_ Ikuto thought, his hands behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. Ikuto tried to come up with a plausible reason as to her mysterious absence. He thought of everything, from chains and whips to some odd form of tentacle rape.

_"Or maybe she's not going to do anything, and is just going to torture me with suspense."_ Ikuto mused, glancing at the door. He waited, until finally he decided to investigate for himself and see what she was doing.

_"Better to be prepared for whatever she has in store than to be taken by painful surprise."_ He thought, exiting his room quietly. He walked down the hall, careful to not make as little sound as possible in case Amu decided to pop out of nowhere and punch him in the groin or some other painful place. He finally reached a door, and figured that it was Amu's room since he hadn't seen it when she gave the tour. He opened the door, surprised to see it was totally dark and that no evil plots were being formulated.

_"If God talked to Satan about this, then never again will I use either name in vain."_ He thought, carefully entering the room so as not to let anyone in on his presence. He stiffened as he heard something shift on the bed, relaxing only when the movement stopped completely. He silently edged towards the bed, stopping when he reached the side of it. He leaned forward to get a closer look, and saw that there lay Amu, fast asleep on the sheets.

_"Or, I should say, passed out like a drunk."_ Ikuto thought, noticing the empty bottle that was held in her hand. He did grudgingly admit though, if she stayed asleep for the rest of her life, she would be pretty cute. But she had to be awake to work, so she would forever be the painful dictator for as long as he knew her.

_"What a shame,"_ Ikuto thought, heading back towards the door to her room. He stopped though, as a sudden thought of him accomplishing what he needed to right at this moment popped into his head. He could easily slip his hand into her pocket, pull the memory stick out, and kiss her to get the thought he needed. But, he shook the thought away, running a hand through his hair and sighing heavily.

_"If she was upset enough to get drunk before torturing me, then she'll have both my heads on a silver platter if I decide to go on a memory hunt."_ He thought looking back at her sleeping form sprawled across the bed. _"Better to just wait for the next time she passes out."_


	9. Chapter 9

Amu groaned as she woke up, sitting up as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She glanced down at her knuckles, noticing that they had healed completely while she had passed out. She hopped out of the bed, stumbling slightly as a wave of dizziness hit her.

_"Damn hangovers."_ She thought, heading towards her closet to change clothes. She opened her closet, immediately grabbing a white hooded sweatshirt with black sleeves and hood, red lines crisscrossing the front with a red butterfly on her heart. With it was a short jean mini skirt, short enough to barely reach her knees. She changed quickly, heading to her dresser to grab a pair of thigh high red and white socks, pulling her hair out the high ponytail she wore from the day before. She pulled out two pink x-clips, placing them as barrettes to keep her hair out of her face.

_"Now then, time to-,"_ Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something being smashed to bits. _"I swear to all higher evils that if that idiot broke something, he's getting a knife so far up his ass he'll be shitting blood for years to come."_ Amu mentally growled, storming out of her room and towards where she heard the noise.

* * *

 

To say that Ikuto hated the demonic Hellhounds before him was like saying that ninety percent of cats hated water; an obvious fact that anyone with a brain could see. To say that he was tempted to use Miki as a dog shield when Amu came in and saw dishes broken on the floor with him lying in the midst of it was like saying he hated the demonic Hellhounds before him; an obvious fact that anyone with a brain could see.

"What..happened… _here_?" Amu hissed, glaring directly at Ikuto with to something equivalent to murderous intent. Ikuto immediately pointed at Ran, who cocked her head innocently to look up at Amu with large puppy dog eyes.

"That _thing_ you call a Hellhound has it out for me, I swear. All I was doing was getting a dish to make my own breakfast, and she goes and trips me up. And of course, that causes an avalanche of dishes to fall on the floor, which is the scene you see in front of you." Ikuto said, explaining everything as calmly as he could with Amu glaring poisonous daggers at him. Amu sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose harshly.

"Just…Just go to your room and study that book of flower meanings I gave you. Obviously I can't trust you to do anything in this house, so just stay in there and study, alright? If you manage to not break anything in your room, then I'll send you out on an errand with Dia later. Got it?" Amu commanded, glaring directly at him. Ikuto got up, brushing himself off as he nodded.

"Stay in my room away from troublesome mutts, get to go out with a seemingly innocent mutt. Got it."

"Good. Now get the hell out of here so I can clean up your mess." Amu said, pointing at the exit and towards the hallway. Ikuto nodded, exiting the kitchen with Dia trotting behind him at his heels.

* * *

 

"Why are exactly are you here again?"Ikuto asked, glancing over at Dia. She only barked in reply, tongue hanging out as her tail wagged behind her. He rolled his eyes, getting his attention back at the particularly large book in front of him.

"Of course you won't give an actual answer; you're just a stupid dog." He muttered, flipping through the pages of the book with no real curiosity to it. Learning meanings of multiple flowers wasn't his ideal way to spend time free of having elbows in his stomach or fists crashing into his nose.

Dia pouted, hopping onto the bed and glancing at the page he was on. Her eyes went wide suddenly, and soon she was barking insanely.

"What now you stupid mutt?" Ikuto grumbled, looking up from the book and glaring at her. Dia pawed at the book, seemingly trying to turn the page while barking. "What, do you want me to turn the page?" He asked, watching as she nodded her head quickly. He sighed, turning the page of the book and coming face to face with yet another flower. He looked up at Dia, boredom written across his face.

"Alright, I've turned the page. Now what?"

Dia kept pawing at the page, barking incessantly. Ikuto groaned, about to slap her paw away and kick her out, when he saw what the flower was and its meaning.

**_Snowdrop-Meaning hope and consolation_ **

Next to it, he saw a little star had been drawn, almost as if Amu had drawn it there to bookmark the page. Ikuto looked up at Dia, who was staring at him impatiently, almost as if she was waiting for it to click in his head.

"…I'm probably going utterly insane for saying this, but bark once for yes and two for no when I ask you questions. Got it?" He asked, waiting for the answer he thought wouldn't come. Dia barked once, and then remained silent as she waited.

"Okay then…Does this concern Amu in some way?"

A single bark was heard before silence again.

"Would this help fulfill the requests of those prisoners that obviously knew her when they were all still living?"

Again, a single bark was heard before silence fell.

"Would it be an immediate help when she sees them?"

Dia hesitated, before giving two barks in answer. Ikuto leaned back, resting his head against the wall of the bed.

"Okay, so it concerns her, it would help fulfill the requests, but it's a long term help. Am I right?"

Dia barked her tail wagging as her eyes kept contact with his. Ikuto felt a smile almost reach his face as he reached out to scratch her behind her ears.

"You know, you're not really that bad." Ikuto muttered, before giving his attention back to the book. As he went to turn the page, he noticed that paper was sticking out, something that hadn't been there before.

_"Must've come out when Dia had that helpful little spaz attack on the book."_ Ikuto thought as he pulled the paper free from the book. Dia watched him as he unfolded it, reading what was written on the page.

"'Six, six, six. It starts with anger, evolves to hate, and then you are forsaken. Cruelty strikes, you soon regret, and then are separated. And then you'll lie, but I will see, the truth of your tragedy.'" Ikuto read, his eyes scanning the rest of the page. His eyes stopped at the bottom of the page, seeing a list of flowers and their meanings.   
  
_Petunia-Anger and resentment_  
 _Orange Lily-Hatred and disdain, Wealth, Pride_  
 _Anemone-Refusal and Abandonment, Forsaken_  
 _Marigold-Sacred Affection, Cruelty, Grief, Jealousy_  
 _Asphodel-Languor and Regret_  
 _Wormwood-Separation and Torment of Love_  
 _Bittersweet-Truth_

"Well, guess that explains the choice of plants and words," Ikuto said, folding the paper back up and placing it back in the book. He was about to close the book and put it away, when he felt Dia nudge his leg with her head. He looked down at her and saw that she was still pawing at the book.

"What are there more flowers that she marked or something?" Ikuto asked, keeping his eyes on the small dog. When he got a single bark as an answer, he re-opened the book to go back to searching.

"Oh wise mutt," Ikuto began sarcastically. "Are the answers I seek in the index of flowers?"

When Dia gave a single bark as an answer, Ikuto promptly shut his mouth began looking again, only thinking of how much he despised dogs at times.

* * *

 

Ikuto entered the gardener's shop, Dia trotting behind him with her tongue hanging out. He walked around the store, trying to find the appropriate seeds that he would need to pull this off.

_"Of course, when she finds out I went and by technicality, 'betrayed her trust in me to choose plants she'd approve of'; I'm going to suffer at her hands quite painfully."_ Ikuto thought, picking up a packet of gladiolus seeds. Dia tugged at his pant leg, trying to lead him in the direction of everything else they came for.

"Alright, I'm coming," He said, following her lead as she directed him to everything else that was needed. He noticed that, as he walked through the aisles trying to pick what he needed, people would point and whisper as he walked by. He shrugged it off, but found it very annoying nonetheless.

_"Do these people have nothing better to do than gossip about random strangers?"_ He asked, picking up the last packet of seeds, a packet of pink heather, which he needed. He then headed to the counter to pay for them, noticing that a young girl stood behind the counter, seeming to be the same age as Amu.

"Hi! What can I do for you today?" She asked, her light brown hair bouncing in their twin wrapped buns on the side of her head. He noted she had brown eyes, though they weren't the dull color like Amu's were.

_"That would mean she's fully demon,"_ He thought, placing his items on the counter. The girl looked at the packets, her eyes widening at the sight of all the different types he had chosen.

"Sir, you do realize what these all mean, right? After all, Hinamori-san is _very_ specific about what should and what shouldn't go into her garden." The girl said, stating it as if it were a simple fact of everyday life. Ikuto stared at the girl, idly wondering if she was some type of professional stalker.

"And how would you know these are for…Hinamori-san?" Ikuto asked, suddenly realizing that it was actually the first time he had to call her by her last name. Usually he just made up some title to annoy her with, even if they earned him a harsh punch in the stomach.

"Because I know for a fact that you are one Tsukiyomi Ikuto, the newest charge of Hinamori-san that is forced to live with her on a daily basis! That's been the talk of the town for days now!"The girl said, looking at him like he was deaf for not knowing. Ikuto leaned on the counter, his chin resting in his hands as he stared at the girl with bored eyes.

"Is that all you people do around here is gossip?" He asked, idly picking at a seed packet.

"Of course! You're either a victim being tortured, a pureblood demon working some kind of day job, or a demon like Hinamori-san who tortures victims for a living!"

"Hinamori-senpai," A small voice cried out, running out of a back room and up to the counter at break neck speeds. "Where is she?! I must give her my daring love confession so that we may join as one in unholy matrimony!"

The girl sighed. "Seiichiro, she's not here. I was just having a nice talk with her charge. Now go be a good little fanboy and-"

"Hinamori-senpai's charge," He cried out, looking up at Ikuto from behind his glasses, brown eyes filled with jealousy. "You must be eternally grateful to all higher powers for being assigned to her! She is a goddess amongst us lowly demons!"

"Pfft, she's just a weak little human gone demon," A customer said, looking over their shoulder before going back to their browsing of plants. Seiichiro glared, suddenly jumping onto the counter to leap at the customer, only to be held back by the girl.

"You take it back! Hinamori-senpai is the strongest of the strong! The bravest of the brave! She cowers before no pureblood, and will one day rise to the greatest heights to become our hero! And I will be by her side!" Seiichiro exclaimed, his legs flailing in the air as he shook his fist at the customer, who was chuckling as they exited the store. "Manami, let me go! I must punish that vile creature for defiling the beauty known as Hinamori-senpai!"

"Seiichiro, just go back into the storage room! You go after them later! Besides, Hinamori-san would rather have a man who works hard for their job instead of getting into random fights!" Manami shouted, trying to calm him. Seiichiro stilled, allowing her to place him on the floor. He then beamed up at her, his teeth shining as he gave her a thumbs-up.

"Then I shall do just that! I shall work just as hard, if not harder than before, and will impress Hinamori-senpai!" Seiichiro exclaimed, and soon had run back into the storage room. Manami sighed, watching as he ran back into the room with more than enough energy to spare.

"I swear that boy will be the death of me." She muttered, beginning to ring up all the seed packets. Ikuto watched as she did, glancing back at the door the customer left through every now and again.

"He was right to defend her though; the idiot had no right to just go and make assumptions." Ikuto replied, watching as she began to bag all the seeds.

"Yeah, but still, it would give this shop a bad name if people found out a pureblood got into a fight over defending Hinamori-san's reputation. People tend not to come here because she shops here. Which, even though it isn't right, it's just how things work." Manami said, placing the bag on the counter. "You're total is nineteen dollars and twenty cents by the way."

Ikuto handed her the money, watching as she rung it up and handed him the change. "Thanks." He said, taking the bag of seeds with him and heading for the door.

"You're welcome! Come back soon!" Manami said, waving to him as he left. He held up his hand in farewell, exiting the shop and heading back for Amu's house. Manami sighed, sitting back on a stool behind the counter as she stared up at the ceiling.

_"If only I was as courageous as Seiichiro is with his declarations. Then maybe Hinamori-san and I could be friends."_ Manami thought as she kept herself balanced on the stool.


	10. Chapter 10

Ikuto stared up at the ceiling, his body aching and his wounds slowly healing after having been put through his usual bout of torture.

_"Geez, it seems like she's making up for lost time."_ Ikuto thought, wincing as he felt a muscle twitch involuntarily. He sighed, trying to get as comfortable as he could, trying to ignore the pain as he closed his eyes for sleep. He barely heard the sound of the dog door flapping open and closed, but he did feel the tug at his pant leg.

"What?" He growled, opening an eye to glare at the small intruder. Dia looked up at him, her golden eyes wide with innocence as she barked slightly. Ikuto raised an eyebrow, watching as Dia went back to tugging at his pant leg.

"Is this so incredibly important that I have to get out of bed when I'm in an amount of pain you would never understand?" Ikuto grumbled, stiffly running a hand through his hair, ignoring how some of the strands stuck to his face as blood dried. Dia barked once, tugging more harshly and urgently than before. He sighed, getting out of bed even as his body groaned in protest. He headed towards the door, opening it and allowing Dia to lead the way to him.

"You know I hate you a lot for this, right?" Ikuto said, following after Dia as she led him towards the kitchen. A quiet bark was his answer, and he soon found himself looking at the door that led to the garden. Dia ran to a corner of the kitchen, almost coming out immediately with something in her mouth. As she walked closer, Ikuto realized that she was carrying Amu's ring of keys in her mouth, which must have been considered high treason to someone like Amu.

_"Then again, when you have to go, you have to go,"_ Ikuto thought, watching as Dia dropped the ring at his feet before pawing at the door to the garden. He picked up the key ring, eyeing all keys that could fit into one little lock. He then noticed that on the keys were little inscriptions, with a letter representing what they were for on them. He picked the key that had the letter 'G' on it, inserting it into the lock. He almost wasn't surprised when it fit and unlocked the door, allowing him to open it with ease.

"Is she extremely forgetful or something?" Ikuto muttered, staring at the keys in his hand. Dia ran out into the garden towards the shed, barking once as she stopped in front of the door. He sighed, beginning to be able to walk briskly as the wounds that were inflicted were healed more than before. When he reached the shed, he quickly found the key marked 'S', inserting it into the lock and opening the door.

He stepped inside, noticing at once that it was pitch black in the little room. He felt along the wall, hoping to find some sort of light switch to the shed. When he didn't feel any bumps along the wall, he sighed and resigned himself to work in the dark. He took a few steps forward, and immediately felt a piece of string smack into the middle of his face.

_"Well that would make sense,"_ He thought, pulling down on the string. Light from a single bulb illuminated the darkness, giving him enough light to work with. He looked at the shelf, surprised by the sheer volume of vials and liquids on the shelf.

"How anyone could do this for a living is beyond me," Ikuto muttered, grabbing the first vial he saw. It was a container of some purple looking liquid, with the name 'Bittersweet' scrawled across its label and a date that seemed so old to him that it would've made month old expired milk look like honey water. He glanced over at Dia, who was looking up at him with expectant and serious golden eyes.

"So I'm guessing its vials with this date I'm looking for?" He asked, pointing to the vial he held in his hand. She barked once, and soon Ikuto was searching through the shelves for six other vials with the same date on them. Soon he had all that he needed spread out on the table, a small roll of beeswax and a dropper being the only other occupants. He unscrewed the seven vials, allowing their scents to bombard his senses.

"Do girls really like how this smells?" Ikuto asked, almost gagging as all the floral scents attacked his nose and made his eyes water. Dia whined, covering her nose with her paws as she lowered her head far into the floor. Ikuto turned back to the task before him, covering his nose as best as he could so as not to choke on the scent. He grabbed the dropper and, going straight for the vial that was labeled 'Petunia' first; he began to create the memory collector.

"Six, six, six. It starts with anger, evolves to hate, and then you are forsaken," He recited slowly, careful to only drop exactly what was needed and nothing more. He only wanted to get a memory of hers; he didn't need her head to explode or shrink. _"Not even God would be able to intervene in the fury that would follow that catastrophe."_ He thought, continuing with the spell.

"Cruelty strikes, you soon regret, and then are separated. And then you'll lie, but I will see, the truth of your tragedy." Ikuto finished, watching as the beeswax changed to the normal gray color. He picked it up, examining it in the light provided by the bulb.

"So, will this achieve what needs to be done?" He asked, glancing down at Dia. She barked once, causing a small smirk to grace his features as he began to clean up the area, ready to head back to the house.

"Perfect."

* * *

 

Ikuto silently entered Amu's room, Dia padding along quietly behind him. He watched as she went over to a corner of the room where Ran, Miki, and Suu lay, circling before lying down herself to sleep. He moved forward, keeping his footsteps as light as possible as he inched towards the bed that she slept on.

_"And she's drunk yet again,"_ He thought, noticing that she was sprawled haphazardly on the bed, an empty bottle clutched in her hand yet again. He sighed, noting that since she was lying on her side he would have to move her slightly, or risk not being able to do this correctly. He climbed onto the bed, freezing as she stirred slightly, breathing in relief only when she stilled.

_"Well, here goes nothing."_ He thought, applying the beeswax onto his lips. He placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her gently so as to not awaken her. He lowered his face closer to her, faintly smelling the scent of whiskey on her breath. He gently placed his lips on hers, ignoring the fact that her lips were actually quite soft since she wasn't forcing herself onto him. He slowly entered his tongue, the taste of the whiskey immediately hitting his senses.

_"Must've been some strong whiskey she drank."_ He thought, moving his tongue through her mouth with no real hint as to what he was looking for. He suddenly felt something light yet forceful latch onto his tongue, and he quickly pulled away from her, glancing down to see if she had woken up and decided to bite him. But, she was still as sound asleep as ever, though what he saw floating in front of him from his lips was exactly what he needed.

_"So this is her memory huh?"_ He thought, pulling the smoke away from his lips and staring at it. He carefully climbed off the bed, exiting her room in a quick but stealthy manner, shutting her door silently behind him.

* * *

 

"Alright you, show me what I need to see right now," Ikuto said, playing with the little wisp of smoke between his fingers. He was sitting on his bed, watching as the screen formed in front of his eyes and began to play the memory that was contained.

* * *

 

_A small girl with light brown hair ran ahead of an older girl with pink hair, laughing as she ran faster and faster._

_"Catch me onee-chan!" The girl shrieked, her arms waving wildly in the air as she ran. The pink haired girl laughed, running fast enough to grab the smaller girl and spin her around._

_"Got you Ami," She said, causing Ami to look up at her with honey colored eyes shining with admiration. "_

_You're so cool onee-chan! One day, I'm gonna be just wike you!" Ami declared, pointing up at the girl. She smiled down at her, setting her down onto the floor and ruffling her hair, receiving cries of protest from Ami. "_

_Alright now, go play in your room with your dolls, alright?" She said with a commanding tone in her voice. Ami saluted her, before running off towards her room laughing all the while. The older girl smiled softly, her honey colored eyes showing deep love for her little sister._

_Flames suddenly surrounded the girl, and the honey eyes that had held deep love were now shut tightly in pain as she screamed in pure agony. Her body was tied to a stake, her hands tied behind her back and her feet bound at the foot of the wooden pole. She screamed again as a hot iron branded her bare stomach, the sound of sizzling flesh sickening. "_

_You little bitch, you deserve this though," A woman said, her sharp steel blue eyes glinting with pleasure behind her glasses as she watched the girl in front of her writhe in pain. "You, Hinamori Amu, deserve every bit of torture and suffering that you're going through at this moment." "_

_Stop it! Please, I've said I'm sorry for what I've done, please!" Amu cried out, looking at the demon with reddish brown hair with tear filled eyes. She vaguely recalled a day back when she was alive, a day when someone had brought in a color sheet and asked whether her hair was Cinaberry or Egyptian Plum. Amu hadn't taken much interest in it, but vaguely remembered a color called Egyptian Plum that looked slightly like this woman's hair. "_

_Stop? Why should I? After all, you cost three people their lives. They_ burned _in that fire for you Amu and it's your entire fault."The woman said a sneer on her face. Amu felt the tears fall harder as she shook her head, not caring whether every strand of her hair caught on fire because of it. "I_

_t was an accident, I didn't mean to! Yukari-san, please you have to-"Amu was cut off by a scream of her own erupting from her mouth as Yukari pressed the hot iron into her face repeatedly._

_"I told you to never call me by that name ever," She snarled, pressing the hot iron into Amu's cheek. "You are to call me master and nothing but master, do I make myself clear you little bitch?"_

_"_ _Y-Yes…master." Amu said, flinching every time she felt the flames of the fire lick the burn wounds scattered across her body. Yukari smirked up at her, pressing the hot iron into her body harshly._

_"Well, I guess I can't completely blame you. After all, you seem to have trouble following such simple orders, like don't let anything happen to little Ami-chan." Yukari sneered, watching as more tears fell from her eyes. "And yet of course, you go and let the house burn to the ground with your entire family, minus yourself, trapped inside it. Tell me, how did you sleep at night after that? Were you enjoying all the peace and quiet you got after they died? I'm sure you were probably laughing madly on the inside as you watched your father go in after them, knowing that they would perish slowly and painfully."_

_Amu bit her lower lip, trying to keep herself from sobbing out loud in front of her. Yukari smirked again, wider and more malicious than before, as she snapped her fingers. The flames disappeared, leaving behind a burnt and red Amu, the white bra and panties that she was allowed to wear singed at the edges completely._

_"I'll see you tomorrow Hinamori," Yukari practically sang out, closing the door behind her. Amu heard it click shut, and soon she felt the tears stream harder than before down her face._

* * *

 

Ikuto watched as the smoke disappeared, having been too enraptured in the scenes to notice his door open and close. When he did notice someone else in the room, he turned to look at the doorway to see none other than an obviously extremely pissed off Amu.

_"Oh shit…"_ Ikuto thought, watching as she stalked towards him, her hands tightly balled into fists.

"You…"

"I can explain."

"You…."

"Really, there's an easy explanation to all this."

"You son of a _bitch_!" Amu screeched, tackling him to the bed viciously. He grunted as she landed on him, looking up to see her glaring down at him with hate filled eyes as she was straddled to his waist. He felt himself be bound to the bed, and the next thing he knew her dagger was plunged deep into his stomach, the warmth of his blood oozing across his skin.

"You bastard! You sick, little fuck! Do you know what I should do to you?!" Amu shouted the dagger always in motion as she spoke. She ripped across his chest, the gash deep enough that she could almost see his heart beating. His arms were fountains of blood, the slices across them cutting any blood vessels in her way.

"It…was for…your own good." Ikuto grunted out, wincing slightly as he felt her jab the blade deep into his thigh. She laughed a harsh cruel sound so different from the one in the memory a few moments ago.

"Good for me? You have no fucking _idea_ what is good for me. If you knew what was good for me, you'd have already been asking to be shipped out of here!"Amu hissed, pressing the dagger close against his neck. Ikuto glanced down at the dagger, before locking his gaze with hers.

"Then do it." He said, watching as confusion flit itself across her face. "Ship me out of here, hand me over to some other demon; you're the one in charge here, remember? Do whatever you want with me."

"You realize though that you're probably going to be handed to the vilest demon down here, right?" Amu said, smirking as she hoped to see fear play across his face. But he remained calm, or at least not letting his emotions play out across his face.

"I realize that, but my answer stays the same. If it is for your own good, then by all means do it." Ikuto stated, feeling the pressure against his neck back off only slightly. Amu's hold on the hilt of the blade tightened, before she suddenly removed herself from him. Ikuto turned his head to watch her storm out of his room, the dagger still gripped tightly in her hands.

"You better be ready when I wake you up tomorrow!" Amu shouted from her room, harshly opening the door before slamming it shut. Ikuto sighed; wincing as he tried to move his arms and legs that had become unbound when she had left. He was covered in blood, though he knew that by tomorrow it would all be dried and healed, ready for the next round that she gave. He stared at the ceiling, pondering over what had happened with the memory he had gotten.

"It should've just given me why she got sent down here," He thought, his eyes blankly staring straight ahead. _"Instead, I got everything but that exact reason. Sure, I get that it involved a fire, her family dying in it, and by default there being guilt, but that doesn't help. What did she do exactly? She loved that little sister of hers too much to let anything bad happen on purpose."_ Ikuto thought, sighing as his eyes closed in preparation for sleep. He began to doze off, but not before he had a single thought flit through across his mind.

_"What happened to you Amu?"_


	11. Chapter 11

"Will you slow down for a minute? It's not like I'm going anywhere." Ikuto said, catching himself before he tripped and fell face first onto the ground. At the moment, he was being forcibly dragged through town, Amu keeping as much distance as she could from him while holding his wrist in an iron grip. He swore that her grip was so tight that circulation to his hand was almost completely cut off, trying to watch his step as she briskly walked ahead of him.

"I refuse to slow down Tsukiyomi. And you are going somewhere if I have anything to do about it." Amu snapped, turning around to glare at him over her shoulder. Ikuto almost felt himself shiver from the ice in her stare, almost feeling sick as well from the venom in her voice.

_"Well I guess it's a price to pay for pissing her off,"_ He thought, letting a small sigh escape from his lips. He glanced up to look at the back of his head, swearing that she had just rolled her eyes at him whether he could see it or not.

"Alright, we're here." Amu stated, turning to face him as they stopped in front of a building. Ikuto surveyed the building, noting that it was a cream colored, average looking office building. He had been preparing himself for a tall, dark, menacing building with its own little stormy night surrounding it. To see a building that you wouldn't even suspect as evil back on Earth was unnerving and scared him more than the darker ideal. He followed her inside, again surprised that it seemed to be a normal office instead of the dungeon he had imagined.

"This doesn't seem like a place where you would get assignments." Ikuto said, looking around at the plastic chairs and office plants in the corner of the room.

"That's because giving out assignments is your version of office work; dull and not very fulfilling," Amu said, heading straight towards the receptionist desk. "Geez, what were you expecting; a gloomy Frankenstein castle with people shackled to the dungeon walls?"

"In all honesty, yes." Ikuto replied, keeping his own pace with her as best he could. She casually stepped back, causing the heel of her boot to crush his toes as he stepped forward. Ikuto grunted in pain, a fake innocence playing out on Amu's face.

"Oops, didn't mean to do that." Amu said too sweetly, a smirk forming on her lips as she heard him grumble what sounded like a disagreement. "Whatever just keep quiet as I get this done."

Ikuto rolled his eyes, before settling them on who the receptionist was behind the desk. _"God hates me. Either that, or He's enjoying every little second of this."_ He thought, staring at the large proportioned woman behind the desk.

She had purple hair, a shade darker than Nagihiko's, and was cut so close to her head that one could possibly mistake her for a boy if she didn't have a female's body. Her piercing blue eyes were shielded behind half-moon glasses, typing steadily away at a computer in front of her. Her outfit was a bright yellow office jacket and skirt, with a white shirt underneath the jacket, complimented by her teal pearl necklace and bright purple earrings.

"Good morning Nobuko-sensei." Amu said, greeting the woman. Nobuko looked up, her large red lips forming a warm welcoming smile as her eyes lit up with joy.

"Why hello there Amu!" She cried out, bringing Amu into a warm large embrace. "I haven't seen you since I got the call to give you your next assignment! Tell me, was it as successful as I foresaw?"

"Well…If you let me go…Then I could tell you." Amu gasped out, her face becoming a multitude of colors as she began losing air. Nobuko gained a look of understanding, immediately releasing Amu to allow her to breathe. Amu stepped back slightly, taking in the sweet oxygen she had been deprived of.

"I'm sorry Amu, but you know how I get when I see you. Ever since you helped me out of that little loss of hope with your talent for torture, I've been indebted to you. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't snapped me out of it with the slicing up of that beautiful boy?" Nobuko questioned, before sighing dreamily at the thought of Amu's first victim. "Ah…I even remember his full name…Hotori Tadase."

"I was just doing my job, no need to be so thankful." Amu said, waving her free hand in a dismissive manner. Nobuko chuckled, resting her chin on top of her two hands.

"Whatever you say child. Now, how's your newest assignment going?" Nobuko asked, her eyes staring straight at Ikuto. He began to feel uncomfortable, the way her eyes looked at him as if he were a juicy hamburger and she were a starving person.

"I need to exchange him. He's gotten far too stupid and troublesome for my liking." Amu said, jerking her thumb back at Ikuto. Nobuko's eyes widened, her eyebrows rising in surprise at the answer.

"Oh, I see. Well, Mr. Director is free at the moment, seeing as how he has no scheduled meetings with any high class demons. He should be in his office teaching Hikaru-kun." Nobuko replied, checking her computer screen for anything scheduled. "You can go on up whenever you're ready."

"Thanks," Amu said, heading down the hallway towards his office. Ikuto was pulled along behind her, forcing him to pass by Nobuko whether he liked it or not. As he passed by, he turned his head to look at her, seeing if she had spoken.

_"Did I imagine that?"_   He thought, almost completely stopping. Amu growled, tugging his arm hard enough to dislocate it from its socket.

"Come on!" She demanded, causing Ikuto's body to go back into motion. Nobuko chuckled silently, watching the two until they passed around a corner.

_"He better keep that promise of his."_ Nobuko thought, turning back to her computer screen to begin working on a new assignment.

* * *

 

"Well, here we are." Amu stated, standing with Ikuto outside of an office door. It was a plain oaken door, with a glass window pane that had his name clearly labeled across it. However, since the shade for the glass had been pulled down, any activity that went on behind the door was a secret known only to the man and any guests inside.

"You know, the more normal this gets, the more I worry." Ikuto said, eyeing the door warily. He was half expecting it to jump out of its hinges and begin to attack him while Amu watched for pure entertainment. She rolled her eyes, ignoring his fear completely as she knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" A deep, gruff voice called from inside the room. The voice held authority in it, so much so that any weak willed person would cower beneath it, obeying with a fearful nod of the head without any questions asked.

"Hinamori Amu along with her assignment, Tsukiyomi Ikuto." Amu stated, standing in front of the door awaiting his answer. Her own voice held strength in it, almost as if it challenged his to try and knock her down. The door to the office opened, Hikaru's head popping out of the opening. He looked up at Amu, trying his best to ignore Ikuto.

"Grandpa says you can come in, but you have to leave him outside." He said, pointing at Ikuto with a small finger. "I'll watch him while you two meet, so he won't be going anywhere at all."

"You mean you won't be sitting in?" Amu asked, watching with mild surprise as Hikaru shook his head. He glanced back into the office before turning back to her to give his answer.

"Grandpa Kazu said that this meeting was out of my league. He said that when I'm older though, I'll get to learn about these types of meetings." Hikaru said, exiting from the office. A bad feeling began to settle in the pit of Amu's stomach, but she shook it off as just being nerves.

_"After all, this is my first assignment change. Obviously I'd be nervous."_ She thought, reasoning with herself as she entered the office room. Hikaru closed the door behind her and then turned his attention directly at Ikuto.

"I still don't like you." He stated his blue eyes boring into Ikuto's indigo ones. "But for the sake of staying entertained, let's play Go Fish."

"…Seriously?" Ikuto questioned, watching as the young demon in front of him nodded his head. He ran his hand through his hair, sighing as he sat down on the floor. "Well since you can probably kill me even though I'm dead already, I have no real choice but to agree, right?"

"I am glad you see it my way." Hikaru said, plopping himself down onto the floor and pulling out a deck of cards.

* * *

 

Amu entered the room, hearing the door click shut behind her. She stared straight ahead of her, locking her gaze with the man sitting behind the large desk in front of her. On the desk was a nameplate, stating clearly that his name was Hoshina Kazuomi. The room was dark, the only light allowed in being whatever filtered through the blinds of the window. Behind him were many file cabinets, all containing folders about each individual person in Hell.

"Please, have a seat." He said, gesturing to the leather chair in front of him. Amu walked towards the seat, studying him as she took her place in front of him. His features were serious and hard, the wrinkles spread out across his features. His brown hair was combed back, not a single strand out of place from the rest. He wore a gray business suit, white dress shirt underneath with a magenta tie.

"Now then, what is your business for being here today?" He asked, his dark blue slits for eyes boring into her own. Amu fought the urge to fidget under his gaze, instead sitting up straighter and boring her own eyes into his.

"I am here to request that Tsukiyomi Ikuto be taken out of my care and given to someone who is able to handle his troublesome stupid ways." Amu stated, feeling any pride she had in her begin to wither away as she spoke. Kazuomi stared, his chin resting on his entwined hands.

"Well, I admit that this is shocking," He began, sitting back into his chair after silent contemplation. "But, a request is a request, especially if you no longer think you can do your job adequately."He said, sighing slightly as he turned in his chair to begin searching through the file cabinets.

"Yes, I no longer believe that I can do my work properly with him around." Amu commented, again feeling a blow to her pride as she admitted this. The only times she had ever been in this building was to receive new assignments. To have her come in and say she needed to have someone taken away was like saying she couldn't be trusted to do her job properly with anyone.

"Well, at least you've come to us before we've had to come to you about it," Kazuomi said, pulling out Ikuto's folder. "I commend you for your wise choice."

Amu nodded, watching as he began to read the case folder. His face was completely serious; his eyebrow raising slightly as he came to what she guessed was Ikuto's reason for being down here. She then saw a flicker of understanding and amusement cross his face, before he finally closed the folder and turned to place it back in the file cabinet. He then turned around to face her, a knowing smirk on his face that made Amu feel uneasy about what he was going to say next.

"Well, I can honestly see why you would desire to have him taken away," Kazuomi began, leaning back into his chair. "A young girl like you would find someone like this distracting."

"Uh…What?"Amu asked, completely lost at his thought process. Kazuomi smirked, his eyes glinting as he leaned forward in his chair.

"Don't play dumb you little slut. You probably just used his torture time as a way to get all your horny little desires out. Tell me, did you actually torture him, or were you two just friends with benefits?" He questioned, his eyes staring straight into hers, a cold calculating menace behind them. Amu felt her cheeks heat up at his implications, her hands tightening on her skirt as she kept her gaze with his.

"I-I've no idea what you're talking about." She stammered, taken aback by his allegations. She should have expected this kind of suspicion, but she still wasn't totally prepared for the feeling his accusation left her with.

"Oh yes, I'm sure you don't. Tell me, did you let him do everything for you, while you lounged around doing nothing? And then when he was all done, you sucked him off and let him fuck you as a treat? Is the real reason you want him gone because you've realized that what you're doing is disgusting?" Kazuomi continued, his smirk growing wider as Amu's face grew redder.

"J-Just forget it," Amu answered, standing up quick enough to cause the chair to fall backwards to the floor. "If you're not going through with this, then forget I ever came here!"

"I never said I wouldn't go through with it," He said, enjoying her reactions to his questions. "I'll transfer him to someone else."

"Good," Amu said, turning away from him. "Good-bye Mr. Director." She said, looking over her shoulder at him before walking towards the door. Kazuomi nodded, grabbing the phone on his desk and dialing a number. He waited as he heard the dial tone, smirking as he heard the person pick up.

_"Hello?"_

"Ah yes, Yukari. I have a transfer from an apprentice of yours I want you to take over."

_"Oh, is that so? Please, do go on."_

"Get here as quickly as possible please."

* * *

 

"Got any threes?" Hikaru asked, looking up at Ikuto from behind the hand he held.

"Go fish." He said his eyes glazed over with boredom. He never found the game enjoyable as a child and apparently that idea stuck with him up until now. Hikaru pouted, going to draw from the pile of cards when the door to the office opened. Ikuto looked up to see Amu coming out, her face staying hidden from their view.

"It's done, let's go." She said, walking quickly away from the office. Ikuto shrugged, standing up and handing the cards back to Hikaru. He took them, packing the deck away into his pocket before standing up himself.

"Bye Amu-nee-san. Bye Tsukiyomi-san." Hikaru said, waving good bye to them as he opened the office door. Amu turned to wave back, and even Ikuto couldn't help himself to give a small wave back. After all, he had called him by his last name at least instead of some insulting nickname. Hikaru nodded, entering the office and closing the door behind him.

Ikuto turned back to face the way they had come, not at all surprised to see that Amu was almost halfway gone. He was surprised, however, that she didn't grab his wrist in a chokehold and drag him like a rag doll after her.

_"Guess she just doesn't care anymore now that I'm leaving."_ He thought, shrugging it off and beginning a brisk pace of his own to catch up with her. He caught up to her quickly, considering she had shorter strides than he did with his long legs. He noticed her stiffen, before speeding up and putting more distance between them.

_"Well, this is different."_ He thought, as an eyebrow rose in curiosity. He quickened his own pace as well, catching up to her again. And just like before, she sped up to put more distance between them, this time beginning to jog. He rolled his eyes, speeding his fast walk up to close the distance between them for a third time. When he was just about to close the distance Amu broke out into a run, dashing away from him and rounding a corner quickly.

_"Huh, surprised she can run so fast in those boots."_ He thought, following the hallway she had been occupying earlier at a slower, more leisurely pace.

* * *

 

Amu ran trying to escape the building as quickly as possible. Her head was bent towards the ground, so that no one could see her flushed and hurt features. The words Kazuomi spoke still stung in her mind, causing her eyes to burn from the tears of embarrassment she refused to shed.

_"I should have never come here!"_ Amu thought harshly, her speed increasing again. She suddenly felt herself collide with someone, her body falling to the floor harshly and the person in front of her stumbling back slightly. Amu rubbed her now sore backside, grimacing as she looked up to apologize. The words ran dry in her mouth; her eyes wide as her mouth hung open looking at the person in front of her.

"Stupid little bitch, watch where you're going." The person said, her steely blue eyes glaring down at the girl. Amu nodded, getting up and dusting herself off before facing the woman in front of her.

"What're you doing here Yukari-san?" Amu questioned glad that her voice did not shake, whether from fear or embarrassment. Yukari smirked as she looked down at the girl in front of her, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Why, I'm here to get an assignment you stupid girl," Yukari said, stating it as clear as day. "In fact, I believe this assignment is the one you just declared that you couldn't do effectively."

"You're lying." Amu said, her eyes changing into a hateful glare quickly. "You're lying; he's not going to you."

"Oh, but he is," Yukari breathed, leaning down close to Amu's face. "He's coming straight to me, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

"No…" Amu whispered, feeling herself back up into a wall. Yukari's eyes glinted with pleasure, watching as the girl obviously remembered the pain she had been through under her.

"Oh, it's true," Yukari said, trapping Amu against the wall. She leaned down to her ear, breathing against it and enjoying the way she flinched from her breath. "He's coming with me, and I'm going to make sure he stays right where he is, never once leaving that bed of poisoned nails he'll be tied to for all of eternity," Yukari purred, smirking softly at the thoughts of all he had in store for him when she got him. "Ah Amu, how does it feel to be such a little failure? To not be able to do anything right at all?"

"Shut up." Amu growled, her eyes cast downward with her bangs covering them.

"I remember when you first had to torture. Oh how you cried and apologized with every little stroke of the knife."

"I said shut up."

"And then after each torture, my how you were such a wreck. Always shivering and whimpering and apologizing to no one in particular. I wasted some of my best liquor to get you to shut up."

"Stop talking!"

"And now, after all my hard work, you go and fail me this way? Tsk tsk, I'm so disappointed in you Amu. You never could follow simple instructions though." Yukari pondered, her mouth set in an evil grin. Amu's eyes widened, having a terrible feeling as to where the conversation was going.

"Don't you dare bring that up."

"Just like how your Mama and Papa told you to watch after little Ami-chan, making sure she didn't get into trouble. Then you go and fall asleep, so tired from keeping up with her all day. And then, she wakes you up, telling you there's a fire because she tried to feed herself, something that was _your_ job as a guardian of her for the day."

"Shut the hell up you bitch!" Amu screeched her eyes shut tightly as she shoved Yukari away from her. Yukari grit her teeth, pure fury washing over her face, before a sense of calm washed over her features. She strode up to Amu, gently grabbing her face in her hand so that she could look at her. Yukari raised her other hand and slapped her across the face, her one hand letting go of Amu to allow her face to move with the force of the hit.

Amu's eyes widened, as she turned her head slowly to look at Yukari, fear becoming evident in her eyes again. Yukari smirked, before grasping Amu by the throat and slamming her against the wall repeatedly. Amu gasped, her hands clawing at her throat to try and remove Yukari's hand from her. She kept her grip strong though, and continued to slam her, her knees smashing into her stomach and her fist hitting whatever flesh was available. She tightened her grip on her throat, before harshly tossing her against the opposite wall. Amu landed roughly, coughing and gasping for air as she lay on the floor.

"You are to _never_ call me a bitch. You are to address me as either Yukari-san, or as master. You got that you little bitch?" Yukari spat, giving a kick to her ribs for good measure. She grinned at the gasp of pain she heard, practically feeling herself getting a high from it.

"Y-Yeah, I got it." Amu gasped out, looking up at her from the floor. Yukari walked past her, stepping over her with a superior look on her face.

"Good." She said rounding the corner that Amu had passed in her hurry to get out of the building.

* * *

 

Ikuto walked, nearing the point where Amu dashed away from his sights. He saw a woman dressed in a yellow business suit walk down the hall, her reddish-brown hair bouncing as she walked. She looked at him, her steely blue eyes dancing with delight.

"You better hurry; I doubt she's going to be awake for much longer." Yukari said as they passed by each other. Ikuto turned to quickly look back at her, swearing he heard her chuckle as she said that. His pace quickened immensely, as he hurriedly rounded the corner. He froze when he saw Amu lying on the floor, her body not moving as she breathed heavily. He rushed to her side, kneeling beside her to get a better assessment of her.

Amu stirred slightly as she moved her head to see who was rushing towards her. She almost smiled when she saw it was Ikuto, watching as he knelt beside her.

"What the hell happened here?" He asked, checking her as best he could for any wounds that were particularly uncomfortable at the moment. Her eyes looked at him, blinking sleepily as she felt so tired suddenly.

_"Must be…Because Yukari's gone…"_ Amu thought, her eyes beginning to close for slumber. She felt Ikuto shake her gently, trying to keep her awake so that she could answer his questions. She forced her eyes open, turning them to glare at Ikuto lightly.

"Ikuto shut the fuck up. I'll be fine, and you know it." She mumbled, before closing her eyes and falling into a deep sleep. Ikuto blinked, shocked at what came out of her mouth.

_"Since when am I Ikuto to her?"_ He thought, gently picking her up to carry her back home.


	12. Chapter 12

As she regained consciousness, Amu felt two things: A soft yet firm feeling that could only be described as a bed mattress and the eyes of someone boring into her as she lay on the bed. She sat up in a daze, looking around the room without really registering her surroundings.

"So you're awake." Said a voice she had grown to recognize almost immediately. Amu's head snapped to face Ikuto, who was sitting against the wall on the right side of the room. She glared at him, only to have him retort with a smirk.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?"Amu growled, intensifying her glare to try and scare him off. Ikuto's smirk only grew bigger at her futile attempts to intimidate him. Clearly she didn't know that he was slowly growing immune to her and her threats.

"You should be a little more grateful to me _Amu_ ," He said, watching as her eyes widened as he placed emphasis on her name. "After all, I carried you back from the office when you passed out."

"Why the hell is my name passing your lips?" Amu demanded, her wide eyes narrowing to glare daggers at him. He shrugged casually, almost as if she had asked him if he was busy this weekend and wanted to do something.

"You called me by mine, so I get to call you by yours."

"I was ready to pass out; you can't hold that against me." She stated, her hands balling into fists as he shrugged again.

"Doesn't matter. I said long ago that if you called me by my first name, I got to call you by yours," He said, pulling the memory of when he was first told to save her. Amu huffed, turning her head away from him to glare at the opposite wall.

"Whatever, just get the hell out of here." She muttered her arms crossed over her chest. Ikuto rolled his eyes as he watched her from the floor.

"Actually I was thinking I should stay here until you answer some of my questions." He said, watching her reaction carefully. She glanced over at him, curiosity evident on her face.

"Give me an example of one."

"Why are you here in Hell?"

"Next question." Amu said, turning her gaze away from him immediately. Ikuto sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"Okay then…How did you start drinking?"

"Yukari." She said, keeping her gaze away from him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, his frustration slowly beginning to rise.

"You know, one worded answers aren't going to get me out of here." Ikuto pointed out, watching as she seemed to contemplate his point. She sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

"Fine. But you might as well get comfortable, because these answers will take a good chunk of time." Amu said, keeping her eyes in the opposite direction. Ikuto got up and, after walking towards it, plopped down onto the bed. She turned her head, annoyance written clearly across her face.

"Why the fuck are you on my bed?"

"You said to make myself comfortable. Clearly your bed is more comfortable than the floor." Ikuto said his hands behind his head as looked over at her. Amu groaned, pushing herself up on the bed so that her back was against the headboard.

"Whatever, just get asking." Amu said, staring straight ahead to avoid his gaze. Ikuto stared up at the ceiling, racking his brain for an easy question to start off with.

"What exactly are Kairi, Tadase, and Nagihiko to you?" He asked, looking over after he asked. She sighed, looking up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"All of them were my friends," She started, remembering memories from times much gentler than now. "Tadase-kun, he was the class president, even though he was a shy little thing. He had big dreams and plans for the school; he just needed a confidence boost. So after a little encouragement from everyone, he ran for class president and won. Turns out, a lot of people heard of his ideas and thought they were good. Great even."She said, feeling a smile almost form as she remembered him winning the class elections. She pushed the memory away, going back to giving her answer.

"Nagihiko had entered our school as a transfer student the year before. The minute he got into our school he joined the dance team, and after he came they never lost a competition. Everyone joked it was so he could be around all the pretty girls, but he really did love to dance," Amu said with a small smile, remembering how happy he would look when he danced. "He was so graceful in his movements; it was as if dancing was like breathing to him. And when basketball season came around, he would sign up for that, and they always tended to come out on top too."

"Kairi, he was the newest addition to the class. He was quiet, tended to just sit in the back of the class and observe everything. Real smart though, and organized too. He was actually Tadase-kun's opponent in the class elections, but ended up losing to him by a few votes. Heh, I remember how we all held our breaths as the votes were being tallied up and how some cheered loudly and others groaned in defeat," Amu said, looking down at her finger as it drew a circle on the sheets, remembering fondly how her class had been yelled at for being too loud. "In the end he became Vice President though, so it wasn't a total loss. He was really quite proud of himself."

"Good for him," Ikuto said, his eyes having directed themselves to the ceiling as she spoke. "Tell me about those other people you mentioned."

"You mean Kukai, Rima, and Yaya?" She asked, looking over at him. She sighed as he nodded, beginning to tell about them as well.

"Kukai, he was the friendliest, nicest jock you could ever meet. He could've joined every team on the school if he wanted to. But he had a passion for soccer, so he stuck to that as his main sport. We'd always come to watch him at games, everyone cheering like maniacs when the team played. And of course he was friends with everyone, so he didn't have any enemies. He even had a fan club if I remember correctly." Amu said, smiling at the memory of the Valentine's Day when he had been mauled with chocolates. "He was like that older brother that you always wanted but never had. And it was odd, because he was the youngest out of the four brothers in his family."

"Must've been good examples for him."Ikuto suggested, glancing over at her. Amu shrugged her shoulders, never having met them personally.

"Guess so. Let's see…Rima, she was a fickle thing. She had this sort of princess attitude to her and since she was such a little thing with such thick blonde hair, she had practically every guy wrapped around her finger," Amu said, remembering how every boy would worship her and how they would usually walk away with tears streaming down their faces. "When you got to know her though, she was actually really nice. And funny, she was extremely funny. She could've put a comedian to shame, and she usually did. She was a tough nut to crack when it came to pleasing her with comedy."

"I pity any man who tried to win her heart with a joke."

"You and me both," Amu said, nodding her head in agreement. "Now Yaya, she was the baby of the group. Had such a sweet tooth, yet never gained a pound or got a cavity. It was like she was immune to sugar or something. Of course, that didn't stop her from being the hyperactive little kid she acted like. But that's what made her so special; her childish behavior gave her a unique personality I guess."

"You miss them all, don't you?" Ikuto asked, glancing over at her. Amu nodded, trying to store the memories that had arisen away again.

"Yeah, but so what if I do? Those days are gone, and it's time to live in the present. And unfortunately, the present happens to be hell. Both literally and figuratively." Amu said, shoving down the feeling of longing to be able to be with her friends peacefully again. Ikuto sighed silently, and directed his attention back to the ceiling.

"Alright then, next question: You don't seem like the type, so how did you start drinking?" He asked, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "And don't give me that one worded answer of 'Yukari'."

"Nosy little shit," Amu grumbled while glaring at him from the corner of her eye.

"Just answer the question."

"Fine," Amu mumbled, leaning her head back against the wall. "It was when I had first started doing this whole torture job. I thought, 'It won't be that bad, just torture some random person I never met. Sure I'll feel bad, but it won't be that bad.' Well that was obviously the dumbest thought I ever had, especially considering I was still with Yukari. I waited there with her at the spot where souls come in, and next thing I know Tadase-kun is laying in front of us." "And then you realized it wasn't what you thought it would be?"Ikuto asked, turning his head to look at her. She nodded, swallowing before continuing her answer. "Watching someone carve up your friend is one thing; watching yourself carve them up like a Christmas goose is something else entirely," She said, the memories coming back painfully. "All you can do is just cry and apologize, but you can't stop cutting because that's your fucking _job_. And they say its fine, that they understand, but they don't. It's not fine, because deep down you're secretly glad that you're inflicting the pain instead of receiving it. But most parts of you are crying, screaming for you stop, but you can't because you have some messed up bitch ready to whip your ass if you do. So you keep going, but you feel infinitely worse than you would if you were receiving it, because you realize while doing it that you're no fucking better than them; that doing this to a _friend_ , to someone you held _close_ , is more painful than any physical torture. It isn't a freedom; it's almost like a whole new way to torture an already battered twisted soul."

Ikuto watched as she explained, noting how she grasped the fabric of her skirt tightly as she spoke. It was almost as if she was holding onto something to keep from losing whatever emotional stability she had. He would've let her cry on his shoulder, but he knew that she was much too stubborn to admit she needed it. So he just continued to watch as she talked her grip on the fabric still tight.

"So as you could imagine, I was an emotional wreck after that back then. I couldn't stop crying, no matter how many times Yukari tried to smack some sense into me. So, she finally just got tired of it and shoved a bottle down my throat until I passed out." Amu said, closing her eyes to try and bury the memories of her first time; of the blood, the pain, and the tears. "Now go ahead, ask that million dollar question of yours."

"I may be curious, but I'm not cruel. If you don't want me to ask now-" Ikuto started, being interrupted by Amu's chuckle.

"You're just going to ask later. Either way, I'm going to be answering, so why not get it out of the way now?" She said, looking over at him. Her eyes met his, and he could have sworn that small spark of life had shown itself before being smothered by lifeless amber. She turned her head away, deciding to instead stare straight ahead of her than at him.

"It had been a regular day, no extraordinary events happening or anything. Mama was sleeping, since she had to have some dental procedure done. She couldn't handle the anesthesia, always knocked her out for most of the day. Papa, he had to go to a meeting for a magazine, something involving photography for articles. So he told me I had to watch after Ami, keep her out of trouble and all that stuff. So I spent the whole day playing with her, chasing her, just keeping up with her and keeping her out of trouble," Amu said, smiling faintly at the memory of her younger sister. "After a while I was exhausted, so I just lay down on the couch. Ami was busy doing something, probably playing with dolls, so I figured it was safe to rest my eyes for a few minutes. Next thing I know, she's shaking me awake and saying something about a fire in the kitchen."

"Do you know how it happened?" Ikuto asked, propping himself up on his left elbow. She nodded, bringing her knees up to her chest. She placed her chin on them, keeping her eyes staring straight ahead.

"Ami had gotten hungry and apparently tried to wake me up, but couldn't because I had been so sound asleep. So she decided to try and make something for herself, but it ended up catching on fire. I don't know what she did to put it out, but it only got worse, so she panicked and woke me up. When I got in there to survey what damage had been done, the whole kitchen was ablaze and starting to spread," Amu said, grimacing at the memory of seeing the entire kitchen burning. "I told her to go grab the phone in the hallway and call the fire department while I went to wake up Mama. She nodded and ran off, while I went as quickly as I could to my parents' bedroom. I shook her and shook her, but she just wouldn't wake up. Finally I got her up, but then…"Amu trailed off, her gaze drifting downwards to the bed. "Then Ami screamed, and I rushed to see what had happened and….And the hallway she was in was on fire. I wanted to go down, to go save her, but Mama told me to get out of the house, that she'd go down and save Ami. So I listened, I didn't question her, I just climbed out the window and got out as safely as I could."

"It must've been hard to listen to her though." Ikuto mentioned, watching Amu from his spot on the bed. She nodded, resting her cheek against her knee as she continued.

"It was, but I was told to always listen to authority figures, especially in situations like that. So I just got out as fast as I could, hoping and praying that someone would come and save them the minute I got outside. By then the neighbors had gathered, and they had all called the fire department, so it hadn't been long until they got there," She said, remembering the shrill sound of the fire engines and the worried tones of neighbors. "Then Papa pulled up when everyone was trying to put out the fire. He dashed towards the house, calling out for Mama and Ami, fighting off anyone who tried to hold him back. I even tried to convince him stay out, because I didn't want to lose him if it came to that. But he just shook everyone off and raced inside, determined to save them. And then…That's it."

"What's it?" Ikuto asked, sitting up on the bed. Amu made sure to keep her eyes away from looking at him, feeling the biting sting of tears in her eyes.

"That's where it ends basically. He ran in and before we knew it, the house had collapsed from the fire. The captain of the squad there, he said that no one would've survived it, and they should just focus on putting it out," She mumbled, wiping at her eyes to stop the sting she felt. "And all I could do was cry, and beg, and plead that they somehow survived. And when they said everyone was dead…It just hit me that it was my entire fault."

"It wasn't your fault." Ikuto sighed, running a hand through his hair. Amu stiffened, her head snapping over to look at him.

"Excuse me?" She asked disbelief evident in her voice. Ikuto met her gaze dead on, his eyes boring into her own.

"I said it wasn't your fault. You fell asleep thinking it would be okay to leave her alone for a bit; any normal person would do that. What happened with the fire was out of your control too. Besides, it was all an accident; it's not like you deliberately poured gasoline and lit a match in the kitchen and then waited for it to get bad enough."

"You don't understand," Amu said, aggravation entering her voice as she spoke. "I was given a simple task to do, and I couldn't do it. And it caused three lives to be lost. Lives Ikuto! Whether I meant it or not, I'm still guilty, and I still deserve to be down here!" She shouted, glaring at him with anger in her eyes.

"What you're guilty of was a freak accident," He said, their eyes locked in a staring contest. "And even if it wasn't that, you would've been forgiven eventually."

"You're lying," She said, her teeth grit harshly together. "You're lying; now get the hell out of my sight!" She shouted, her hand whipping out to point fiercely in the direction of the door.

"No," Ikuto said, and on a sudden impulse that not even he could explain, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him. Amu's eyes widened, a blush creeping onto her face unwanted, as her body collided with his.

"Let me go!" Amu shouted, beginning to struggle and fight. Ikuto's arms wrapped around her, holding her closer and keeping in her place despite her struggles.

"No," He repeated, feeling her push and punch at him. "I won't let you go, because you know you need this."

"What do you mean I need this?" Amu asked, ceasing her struggles. She looked up at him as best she could, considering her position at the moment.

"You keep blaming yourself for everything that's happened. For that fire and I'll even bet that you're blaming yourself for having to do this crap job of yours," He said, feeling her shift uncomfortably in his arms. "You've just kept adding the guilt onto your shoulders, but you can't see that they'd probably forgive you for everything that's happened. Your family understands that it was an accident while your friends understand that there would be no way you'd want to do this of your own free will. All this guilt, it's just blinded you and weighed your soul down into Hell."

"You say all this so easily and freely," Amu said softly, her eyes cast downwards at the bed. "But I'll bet that even knowing everything now, you'd never forgive me! You'd still hate me, despise me, and probably hope that I burn here forever!"

"You say such harsh things without truly knowing the answer."

"Well it's the God damn truth!"Amu shouted, glaring up at him intensely. "When everything is said and done, you'd hate me just as much as you do now!"

"I never said I hated you," Ikuto retorted, meeting her glare with his one cool stare. "In fact, I begrudgingly feel an acquaintanceship with you. Even if I usually end up having my face slammed into the ground."

"Yeah well you should be lucky that's all I do."Amu muttered her eyes locked with his in another staring contest. He sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"My point is I don't hate you. And if I don't hate you, then obviously it's easier to forgive you than if I did hate you. In fact, considering all your circumstances, I probably do forgive you."

As the words left his lips, Amu felt her eyes widen, any glaring anger in them replaced immediately with surprise and shock. She felt something in her flutter, expanding almost as if a weight had been lifted ever so slightly off it. She slowly released a breath she hadn't known was being held, keeping her eyes instead focused on Ikuto.

"Say that again." She demanded; her entire body craving for that feeling again. She had no idea what it was, yet she had to experience it again to get a better understanding of it. He raised an eyebrow, obviously questioning her odd demand.

"What, that I forgive you?" He asked, uncertain of her request. He watched in surprise as she gasped for breath, her entire body beginning to tremble after his words left his lips. He grasped her shoulders, giving her a light shake as she continued to pant and gasp for breath.

"Hey, snap out of it. Amu!"

She almost didn't hear him, lost in this warmth that she was feeling from those three little words of his. Amu felt something in her grow and rise higher than before, only to still be shackled down by some heavy weight. She could feel herself trembling, as if she were about to explode and fly away into some higher, better place. She felt that she could have reached that higher place, where shining white light destroyed any dark fears or worries, when she felt a slap across her cheek bring her crashing back to the suffocating world of fear.

Ikuto sighed, glad that her little episode had finally ceased. He opened his mouth to speak, ready to question her about it, when suddenly he felt himself pushed back against the headboard, with Amu's face buried into his chest.

_"What the hell?"_ He thought, getting ready to shove her off him. He placed his hands on her shoulder ready to shove and question; when he felt something wet begin to soak his shirt, muffled noises coming from her. An instant moment of realization dawned on him, causing him to instead wrap his arms around her to try and soothe her gently.

"It's okay Amu," He murmured gently, his hand running lightly up and down her back. "Just let it all out, alright?"

She nodded against his chest, continuing her seemingly endless bout of tears. Part of her felt ashamed for showing so much weakness in front of him, yet another larger part of her was glad, relieved almost, to finally let all the bottled emotions out through gentle peace instead of burning rage. She may not have been free, but what she had felt was the closest she had ever felt to true peace while in Hell.

_"Is that even possible?"_ She thought, before slowly slipping away into a sleep more peaceful than any alcohol induced black out she felt before.


	13. Chapter 13

It was a peaceful morning like any other as Suu stirred from her dream of running through fields and dog snacks. She yawned, stretching herself out before shaking the sleep from her body. She then trotted down towards Ikuto's bedroom, ready to pounce upon him in order to fulfill her morning duties. The thought of getting to slobber all over his face with her wet kisses excited her, causing her to race through the doggie door and pounce on his bed with more vigor than usual.

Suu cocked her head when she landed on the bed, confused by the fact that it was empty of its usual occupant. She bounded off the bed, racing towards Amu's room to notify her of what could only be thought of as an escaped prisoner. She leapt through the door, skidding to a stop at the foot of the bed. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, before she raced out of the room at the speed of light to awaken the other sleeping dogs.

* * *

 

In Ran's opinion, the dream she was having had been the most wonderful thing she had ever dreamt of. She dreamt she was shredding people to bits and pieces, most of her victims having blue hair or being males. When that dream was broken by the sound of barks and nudges, Ran was not at all pleased. So when she woke up to the sight of Suu scurrying about trying to wake up Miki and Dia as well, her first reaction was to growl and glare.

Suu ignored Ran's obvious displeasure, choosing to instead pounce harshly on their other sleeping companions instead. Once everyone had been awakened to a form of semi consciousness, Suu began to recount her tale from when she woke up to her dashing out and pouncing on every sleeping creature.

As she spoke, Ran and Dia's eyes widened in shock and wonder. Miki sat there listening with a bored look in her eyes, though showing slight interest when Suu reached the bedroom part of the tale. The minute that Suu finished Ran and Dia sped down the hall, racing each other to see the spectacle of their lifetime. Miki huffed, trotting silently down the hall with Suu at her side to go and investigate.

Ran and Dia leaped for the door at the same time, causing them to collide together head on with a loud plunk. Ran growled at Dia before pouncing on her, causing a small fight to break out between the two. Miki sighed, shaking her head in their direction before poking her head through the door to see the true cause of the early morning commotion.

She blinked before retreating from the doorway, sighing and shaking her head. She then walked over to Ran and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, dragging her thrashing form down the hallway. Suu watched them, confusion showing ever so slightly, before turning to Dia whose tail wagged as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all.

* * *

 

Ikuto sighed as he completely woke up from the noise of the skirmish outside. He sat up in the bed, beginning to wonder why he was still in Amu's room, when he felt a dead weight hanging around his neck. He looked down to see Amu latched onto him, her head resting against his shoulder as she slept the morning away peacefully. He tried to detach her from him as gently as possible, so as not to disturb her, only to result in her tightening her vice like grip on him. He ran a hand through his hair before letting it fall to the sheets, trying to think of a way out.

"I'm not your personal teddy bear Amu." He said, looking down at the top of her head. Her brow furrowed in her sleep as she brought herself closer to him, burying her face within his shoulder. He sighed, reclining against the back of the bed into a more comfortable position. He glanced down at her, feeling her sigh before becoming still against him.

_"Yep, definitely cuter asleep than awake,"_ He thought chuckling to himself as he heard her mumble incoherently in her sleep, something along the lines of giant eggs and gallons of milk coming out of her mouth. Her hair splayed over her arms and his chest, tickling the base of his neck anytime she moved her head. Her legs were intertwined with his, moving every now and then as though she were dreaming of walking or running. From anyone else's point of view it seemed to be innocent cuddling amongst two people as they enjoyed the other's company.

_"Saying that out loud would be equivalent to suicide."_ He thought, grimacing as he imagined Amu's reaction to that naïve thought. He closed his eyes, deciding to give himself a few more minutes of injury free rest, until a loud knocking at the front door was heard. He opened his eyes and began to climb out of bed, only to feel Amu try and pull him back.

"And now this is a problem." He said as the knocking from the front became louder and more prominent.

* * *

 

Hikaru stood outside the door waiting for someone to answer as his eyes stared at the door intently. With each passing second though, he grew more impatient as he contemplated sneaking in.

_"She would've answered by now. Therefore, that blue haired miscreant has done something to her."_   He thought, pulling out the key that he had used to sneak in the last time. Before he could put it into the lock though, the door swung open and revealed Ikuto carrying an unconscious Amu on his back.

"Oh, it's you." Ikuto said, staring down at Hikaru. Hikaru's eyes narrowed into a glare, flickering from the sleeping Amu and back to his face.

"Did you drug her?" He demanded his eyes iced over with dead seriousness. Ikuto blinked, slightly taken aback by his question.

"No."

"Knock her unconscious in a fight?"

"No," He replied, watching as Hikaru strode past him and into the house. He climbed onto the couch, staring long and hard at Ikuto.

"I still don't like you." Hikaru concluded, sitting back against the couch. Ikuto sighed, walking over to Hikaru and sitting on the floor in front of him, deciding it as a smarter move than sitting next to him.

"I think I got that kid." He answered, moving Amu from his back into his lap. She sighed, curling herself up in his lap; bringing her as close to him as she could. Ikuto could have sworn that he saw Hikaru's eyes glaze over with anger before going back to a dispassionate blue.

"I still want to know what happened." He said, glancing up from Amu to Ikuto's eyes. Ikuto kept his gaze on Hikaru, blue clashing with blue in an unannounced staring match.

"In all honesty, I've no idea myself. I was talking with her-well more like arguing, but that's beside the point-and the next thing I know she's out like a light." Ikuto stated, summarizing everything that had happened the night before. Hikaru raised an eyebrow; curious as to what could have been said to result in this.

"You didn't give a love confession right?"

"I'm imprisoned, not stupid."

"That last statement is debatable." Hikaru stated, bringing his knees up to his chest to rest his chin on. Ikuto's eyes narrowed slightly, noticing the smug little look on his face.

"Weren't you taught to be more polite to your elders?" Ikuto questioned, resting his chin on his hand as he kept his eyes on Hikaru.

"Technically I am older than you," Hikaru retorted, the look on his face becoming smugger than before. "So unless you've seen Jesus in action, you should be more polite to me."

_"Kid's good, I'll give him that,"_ Ikuto thought, finding no fault in Hikaru's logic. "Look, all I said to her is that I forgave her and-"

"You said what to her," Hikaru demanded, jumping from the couch and landing on his feet in front of Ikuto. His eyes blazed with something akin to anger, "Forgive? You said you _forgive_ her?"

"Yeah, forgive. You have a problem with that?" Ikuto questioned, instinctively drawing Amu closer to him. He knew from what she said that demons such as Hikaru had powers, and he really wasn't too keen on finding out with her as an innocent unconscious bystander.

"That phrase, that _word_ even, is completely and utterly taboo. Under no circumstances are you allowed to say it, not unless you would swear the life of your immortal soul that you were serious," Hikaru said, his tiny hands balled into tight fists. "Saying that you forgive someone down here is the equivalence to a human 'I love you': If you weren't one hundred percent serious about what you said, it could mess up both participants up."

"First that memory stick, now this. Someone needs to give me an instruction manual or something." Ikuto commented, though almost instantly regretted what he said. Hikaru's eyes turned to ice, glaring at him with pure hatred.

"You used Yuukari-san's potion on her," He stated coldly, taking a step closer to him. "Just what the hell is wrong with you?!"

"No need to raise your voice kid," He stated, holding his hands up in defense. "I was just curious, so I whipped up one of those things and used it right after."

"You don't do that," He shouted, stomping his foot. Ikuto almost swore he felt the ground shake when he did, though he passed it off as his imagination, "You have to wait until everything has completely soaked in! Using it before its ready will result in you seeing things you don't need to see! Things she wouldn't want anyone to see!"

"Things like Yuukari, right?" Ikuto asked, watching as Hikaru nodded. He seemed to calm himself a bit, taking deep breaths before answering.

"Things exactly like Yuukari-san," He said, beginning to stride towards the door. "You do realize that there will be hell to pay when all this is said and done?"

"I kind of figured as much." Ikuto replied, following Hikaru's walk to the door with his eyes. He stopped his hand on the doorknob before motioning for Ikuto to come over. Ikuto stood up, moving Amu so that she was back on his back. He walked over to Hikaru before kneeling down to his level, surprised when a pinky was held out in front of him.

"Promise me," Hikaru stated, looking at Ikuto. He stared back, not understanding at all what he was going to promise.

"Promise you what?"

"Promise me that you were serious," Hikaru said, his pinky still hanging in midair. "And that for as long as you have to stay here you'll take care of Amu-nee-san. And maybe then I'll even consider trying to like and respect you."

"How kind of you," Ikuto replied, slight sarcasm that either went unnoticed by him or just ignored. He wrapped his pinky around Hikaru's, giving a shake as he held a hand over his heart, "I, Tsukiyomi Ikuto, promise that for as long as I have here I will take care of Hinamori Amu to the best of my abilities."

"Good," Hikaru said, detaching his pinky from Ikuto's and turning to leave. "By the way, you have about two or so days here left. So enjoy them." He stated simply, before opening the door and leaving.

Ikuto stood up from his kneeling position, feeling Amu shift on his back. He looked over his shoulder, coming face to face with just opened amber eyes, sleep still prominent in them.

"Why am I being ferried around on your back?"Amu mumbled, rubbing at her eyes to wake herself up.

"Long story short, you wouldn't wake up or let me go. So I ended up being your personal pack mule and teddy bear for a bit." Ikuto said, setting her down on the ground. She stretched, lifting her arms high above her head and arching her back.

"Alright, so why am I not in the bedroom?"Amu asked, walking towards the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator, digging through it to find something to quickly eat for breakfast.

"Hikaru came by to say that you've only got two or more so days left to be graced by my presence." Ikuto stated, leaning against the wall. He watched as she closed the door, carrying what seemed to be a container of egg salad in her hands.

"Is that so," She simply said, opening the container and setting out to make her a sandwich. "Well then, you might as well start packing or whatever it is you want to do."

"What, no angry or shocked response?" He asked, an eyebrow having risen in question. He had been expecting an outburst from her about Yuukari, or something about how there was so little time left for him. He truly wasn't really expecting the calm speech and casual shrug of the shoulders as she finished up, setting the container back into the refrigerator.

"Nope," She said, leaning against the counter. "Sorry to disappoint. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go back to my room with my meal." She stated, grabbing her plate and heading towards her room. Ikuto watched as she walked down the hallway, not speaking until she was well out of earshot.

"Well…I don't know whether to be fearful, glad, or some strange mixture of the two."

* * *

 

Amu entered her room, placing the plate onto her dresser as she walked past it. She kneeled onto the floor, looking under the bed for something she had been given long before.

"Where is it…Ah, there it is!" She muttered, grasping the item and pulling it out. She dusted it off, revealing it to be a large leather bound book with inscriptions scrawled all over it. She flipped through the pages, looking for a specific section that would aid her in this plan.

"How to conjure up minions…How to seduce mortal men and women…Where is it damn it," She mumbled, furiously searching for it. She finally reached the page, a small smile spreading across her face as she read the instructions for the procedure. She stood up, pulling out her dagger as she headed towards her mirror. She placed the book in front of her and carefully cut her hand, causing blood to ooze forth with abundance from the wound. She dipped her fingers in it and began to write symbols along the outside of the mirror as instructed by the book.

"One day I just might thank Yuukari for giving me this book of basic crap," Amu muttered, finishing up the last few symbols. As soon as she had the mirror began to glow brightly with white light, causing her to shield her eyes with her arms. As soon as the light dimmed down, she lowered her arms to come face to face with a man at a desk.

"Hello there, my name is Amakawa Tsukasa of the Soul Retrieval and Placement Department. How may I help you today Miss?" He asked his violet eyes closing as he smiled at her kindly. His light brown hair swayed in an unseen breeze, though it may have been from the blue haired girl with glasses rushing around behind him with stacks of papers.

"I am Hinamori Amu from Hell's Torturing Department. I would like to ask if you could arrange for Tsukiyomi Utau, Yuiki Yaya, Mashiro Rima, and Souhma Kukai to come and retrieve some of my clients." Amu stated her arms crossed over her chest as she spoke.

"We'll certainly do that right now. Wakana, have any people by those names arrived here lately?" He asked, calling back to the girl still rushing around. She stopped, breathing heavily as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Y-Yes, we have had those arrivals Tsukasa-san." Wakana huffed out before returning to running around with the papers, sorting them all into appropriate places. Tsukasa turned back to Amu, the smile still on his face.

"Well, there you have it. When shall this transaction take place?" Tsukasa asked, beginning to write everything down on paper.

"I would like it to be as soon as possible."

"Hmm…I think we can do by the end of today. Wakana," He called out, turning to watch her run. "You can alert those four on what they need to do relatively soon, can't you?"

"Y-Yes Tsukasa-san! But you'll take care of the paperwork, right?" She asked, placing the stack of papers on a desk beside her. He smiled at her, causing all her worries and cares to seemingly float away.

"Don't worry, in your absence I'll take care of everything." He said, watching as she nodded and ran off to do her new assignment. He turned back to Amu, a smile seemingly permanently plastered onto his face, "Everything is taken care of."

"Thank you Tsukasa-san. Goodbye." She said, ending the spell on the mirror. He waved to her as the mirror returned to its original being, giving her own reflection instead of someone else completely. She sighed, sitting down on her bed as she looked down at the floor.

_"This better work out right, or someone's getting a foot up their ass."_ She thought, a small bubble of hope rising at what may occur because of this.

* * *

 

Dia watched as Ikuto sat on his bed, writing a small note on paper before sealing it with all the seeds he had bought in a makeshift envelope. She hopped onto the bed, craning her neck to get a better look at it. He looked at her, amusement evident in his eyes.

"Don't worry, you'll see what this is soon enough," He said, tucking the envelope into her collar to keep it secure. "You remember where that gardener's shop is, right?"

Dia barked, her tail wagging at the memory. He scratched her behind her ear, causing her tail to wag a mile a minute.

"Good. Go there, and give that cashier girl the envelope I gave you. Got it?"

She barked again, happy when he patted her head in a pleased manner.

"Good. Now get going," He said, pointing to the door. Dia sprang off the bed, scurrying out the door and towards her destination. He watched after her, sighing quietly to himself as he was left to his thoughts in silence.

_"Hopefully that girl will do what I asked her to do,"_ He thought, laying back on his bed and closing his eyes. _"Then again she could totally ignore it. Guess fate will have to decide whether to be nice or not."_


	14. Chapter 14

"Bottling things up isn't healthy, in case you didn't know." Ikuto mentioned, following after Amu as she walked down the streets. Apparently the less violent nonchalant attitude he received in the morning was a fluke, because soon she was pounding on his door demanding him to get a move on for the day.

"I'm very tempted to shove something sharp and painful up your ass." She growled, walking ahead of him quickly. She wanted to get what needed to be done as quickly as possible, and his comments weren't speeding up the process at all.

"Is that a promise or a threat?"

"It's both."

"Funny, I'm almost beginning to miss the girl that clung to me like a stuffed animal." He mused out loud, smirking as he saw her face tinge pink. She turned to glare at him, the key to Tadase's door visible in her hand.

"That never leaves our confidentiality." She muttered, stabbing the key into the lock and swiftly turning it to open the door. He chuckled, following her as she entered the room and made her way over to Tadase.

"Ah, hello there Hinamori-san," Tadase greeted, his usual cheery smile on his face. "How're you on this fine day?"

"Peachy now shut it." She grumbled, shifting through her keys still. Ikuto watched her, curious as to why she hadn't gone over to him and begun to carve him like a Christmas ham. If her delay in actions weren't already peculiar enough, her pacing over to him and swiftly unshackling him from the wall were sure to cause questions to arise in any below average minded person.

"I think I'm hallucinating, because I swear you're releasing him." He said, watching as Tadase landed on his feet, staring with wide eyes at his now freed hands and feet. Amu quickly turned and headed for the door, passing by Ikuto swiftly and not even glancing back at Tadase.

"You're not hallucinating, I'm just going insane. Now move your asses or we won't be able to let Nagihiko or Kairi go." She called back, not stopping to wait for them. Ikuto stared at the doorway, before turning to look at Tadase, questions blatant in his eyes. Tadase only smiled bigger, his whole entire face lighting up as if being under the noontime sun.

"What you just saw was a glimpse of the Amu-chan we know and love," Tadase said, beginning to follow after her through the doorway. "You've somehow changed her just a bit; maybe even enough to have her return to us fully."

"I didn't do anything though," Ikuto replied, following after Tadase. "All I did was act normally, which could be classified as almost jerk like and say 'I forgive you'. And you expect me to believe that's all that had to be done?"

"The smallest of actions affect anyone," Tadase said, his smile growing soft as he looked at Amu's back as she headed to Nagihiko's door. "And sometimes the most powerful words aren't what we usually think of them as, but what we would never consider to be strong." "So you're saying that she responded to jerk actions and forgiveness better than your princely attitude?"

"Basically yes."

"This is one fucked up place."

* * *

 

"Alright, you're probably wondering why you're no longer where you're supposed to be." Amu said, her eyes scanning over the boys in front of her. Tadase stood there, a smile on his face, next to Ikuto, who seemed completely bored out of his mind and as if he could care less. Next to him stood Nagihiko, wearing a pair of pants that she had filched from Ikuto's room without him knowing about it. Finally, Kairi stood next to him a calculating look on his face as he looked around. She couldn't help but smile to herself, remembering days when this little group minus Ikuto would be waiting for her at school, ready to start a new day.

"I for one am quite curious," Kairi said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "So please, clue us in as to why we're being allowed to roam free."

"Gladly," She said, turning her head to face Kairi. "There's no real reason to beat around the bush, so I might as well say it. I have talked to higher ups, and all four of you will be leaving here forever."

"Leaving here," Ikuto repeated, raising an eyebrow. "As in, leaving Hell?"

"Exactly. When we get to the rendezvous point and if you meet their requirements, then you will most likely be leaving here and going straight to Heaven." She stated as if she had just said what was being served for lunch. All their eyes widened at this, the thought so seemingly farfetched to them that it seemed a cruel joke to them that it was being mentioned. Tadase was the first to recover, swallowing before speaking in a small voice.

"You mean…Heaven? As in, angels and happiness for the rest of our lives Heaven?" He asked, his eyes beginning to shine brightly. She nodded, causing an excited chatter amongst the three young boys at the prospect of leaving. Ikuto stayed silent, staying oblivious to their reactions and watching hers instead.

"And what about you," He finally said, staring straight at her. Tadase, Nagihiko, and Kairi silenced themselves as he spoke to her, "What're you going to do as we go frolicking off to a happy ever after?"

"Why should it matter to you," Amu said, returning his stare with her own. "You're probably going free, so you've got nothing else to worry about."

"Amu-chan...If you don't come with us, then we're not going." Nagihiko said slowly, turning his head slowly to stare at her. Tadase and Kairi nodded their agreement, both turning to look at her.

"That's right. We're not leaving without you, not now or ever."Kairi stated, his eyes shining behind his glasses.

"Ugh…Geez, I'm coming with alright?" Amu sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I figured you guys would be too obstinate on me going, so I decided to haul myself along for the ride as well."

"Of course we'd be obstinate about you going," Nagihiko said, looking at her along with Tadase and Kairi. "You're our friend and no matter what the situation, we're all in it together."

"Right," Tadase chimed in, smiling at Amu. "So let's go, eh Amu-chan?"

Amu's expression softened at their words, a small smile beginning to form. "Yeah, we should get going," She said, turning and heading to the rendezvous point. They followed after her Tadase, Kairi, and Nagihiko talking amongst themselves about what it would be like to be free from there. Ikuto kept silent, his eyes staying on Amu the entire time.

_"Something's up with her…"_ Ikuto thought, noticing how she stayed silent through all their chatter, keeping her eyes staring straight at the path ahead. He picked up his pace, soon walking right beside her instead of lagging behind the rest of them. Amu glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, keeping her gaze straight ahead.

"What, you miss being by my side that much?" She questioned, a small smirk gracing her face. He looked over at her, hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Not at all. I was just wondering what you're hiding from them," He stated, watching as she tensed up slightly. He leaned closer to her, his mouth close to her ear, "You may fool them, but I can see past any act of yours. And I know for a fact that you're lying."

"Well whoop de freaking doo. You want a reward for figuring that out?" Amu hissed, glaring at him harshly. He returned her glare with his own cool stare, refusing to back down.

"I want to know why you're playing them like fools," He muttered, his eyes boring into hers. "They trust you completely yet you're leading them on, letting them think you've changed."

"Well congrats, you've learned a lesson today," She said, speeding up her pace as they neared the spot. "It takes a lot more than a few pretty words to completely change a person."

* * *

 

Their group stood together, waiting for their mystery person to appear. Amu sighed, running her hands through her hair.

_"Come on; let's get this show on the road."_ She thought, glaring at nothing in particular. Ikuto sat on the ground, watching her as she growled slightly. He barely registered that someone was sitting next to him, at least until his name was spoken. He turned his head, meeting the side profile of Nagihiko as he also gazed at Amu.

"You noticed it too, huh?" He stated, looking over at Ikuto. Ikuto shrugged, resting his head on his palm as he looked across the expanse of the area.

"I've no idea what you're talking about."He said, earning a low chuckle from Nagihiko. Nagihiko turned so that his stare returned to Amu's back.

"She's lying, there's no doubt about that," Nagihiko noted, watching as her foot tapped impatiently. "But what you think she's lying about and what she's actually lying about are two completely different things."

Ikuto's eyes roved over in Nagihiko's general direction, earning another small chuckle from the boy. "What do you mean two completely different things?"

"You think she's lying about us becoming free, right," He asked, watching as Ikuto nodded. "Well my hunch is that she isn't. My guess is that whatever she's lying about it doesn't concern us. Or it may, considering on your viewpoint."

Ikuto sighed, leaning back on his arms as he thought long and hard about what had been said. He closed his eyes, drifting through the memories of days before that could give clues as to what she was hiding from them. Finally, when his conclusion came to mind, he snapped his eyes open and turned to look over at Nagihiko.

"She's seriously not leaving herself behind here, right?" He inquired, his eyes widening slightly as Nagihiko only gave a small nod in response.

"I'm afraid so," Nagihiko replied looking over at him, eyes beginning to shine with unshed tears. "She's given herself up to this fate, and we can't do anything about it at the moment."

"Idiot…." Ikuto muttered turning his attention to Amu's back. She stood before them her back facing them as her arms were crossed over her chest, foot tapping faster and faster.

"Come on come on come on…" She muttered, staring straight ahead at where their freedom would appear. Suddenly a small sphere of white light shone, growing larger and brighter until they all had to shield their eyes to keep from going blind. When the light died down, they lowered their arms to see a young girl with blue hair and glasses set upon her face standing before them, carrying a clipboard and pen with her.

"I presume you are Hinamori Amu," The girl asked, pushing her glasses up her nose. Amu nodded, causing the girl's face to brighten with a smile. "Good! My name is Wakana, and I am here for the transfer of Hotori Tadase, Fujisaki Nagihiko, Sanjou Kairi, and Tsukiyomi Ikuto."

"What about Hinamori-san?" Kairi asked, standing up from his spot on the ground. Wakana looked down at her clipboard, flipping a few pages before looking back at Kairi apologetically.

"I'm sorry, but Hinamori-senpai is not on the list of transfers. You must have been misinformed about what was happening today." She said, shifting the clipboard that she held in her arms. Tadase and Kairi turned to look at Amu, shock written clearly across their faces.

"A-Amu-chan," Tadase stuttered, trying to deny the truth set before him. She kept her eyes focused on Wakana, refusing to turn and look at them.

"Well, you have my permission: Now get on with it."

"Very well then," Wakana said cheerfully, looking through her clipboard carefully. "Would Hotori Tadase please step forward?"

Tadase shakily stepped forward, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as he walked towards her. He kept his head down, walking past Amu without a single glance in her direction. She watched as he walked, finally stopping within a few feet of Wakana.

"I-I am H-Hotori Tadase," He said, licking his suddenly dry lips. He felt increasingly nervous as he watched her nod, turning behind her where she had appeared only moments ago.

"Sohma Kukai, you may reveal yourself," She called out, stepping aside as if someone were already marching their way towards them. The white light appeared again, flashing brightly before popping out a young adolescent. He appeared to be around the age of fourteen, his green eyes gleaming with youth and excitement.

"Yo, long time no see Hotori!"Kukai said, giving a thumbs up and wide grin as a greeting. His unruly brown hair framed his face, complimenting the almost disheveled attire he wore. He wore a white sleeveless t-shirt underneath a completely unbuttoned white dress shirt, both shoes untied and jeans riding low on his hips.

"It's good to see you too," Tadase croaked, giving him his own weak smile. "You seem to have just rolled out of bed."

"Ah, you know; Practicing soccer all day gets you worn out, so I thought I could hit a quick power nap. And well, I kind of overslept a little…" Kukai said, his hand rubbing his neck as he explained. Tadase smiled, glad to know that Kukai had yet to change from the friend he once knew and cared for deeply.

"Glad you could make acquaintance again with your friend Sohma-san," Wakana said, adjusting her glasses. "But we must move on so as to fit everybody else in as well."

"Right right, sorry about that!" Kukai said, giving her a grin that stretched from one ear to the other. She smiled, glad that after so long he could see his friend, before beginning with the rest of the procedure.

"Now then Sohma-san, do you understand Hotori-san's reason for being down here?"She asked, looking down at the clipboard.

"I should hope so. I mean, I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for his reason!" He said, jabbing his thumb in his own direction. Wakana sighed, deciding to ignore the unusual level of happy from someone who was facing his murderer.

"Now then, do you Hotori Tadase take full responsibility for your actions?" She asked, turning to look over at Tadase. He swallowed, his hands twitching slightly before he spoke.

"I-I do."

"And do you fully and truly regretful of what you did?"

"I-I am. I've never regretted doing something so much with my entire soul," Tadase said, his eyes looking directly into Kukai's. "If there was any way that I could take back what I did and give you back the life I had so selfishly taken, I would do it before you could bat an eye."

She nodded, writing everything that had been said so far down onto the clipboard. "Well then Sohma-san, do you forgive Hotori-san? Or do you believe that he still deserves the eternal damnation that has been given to his being?"

"Are you nuts," Kukai asked, giving Wakana a look of pure shock. "Forgive him? Forgive _him_?"

Tadase's head bowed in despair as he listened to Kukai's answer. _"Of course he'd never forgive me. I'm a stupid, selfish wannabe ruler of the world."_

Wakana nodded, looking down at her clipboard. "Well then, I understand your inability to forgive him. Next-"

"Whoa whoa wait a minute," Kukai shouted, waving his hands frantically. "I wasn't done speaking! I was just using dramatic build-up, that's all! I wasn't serious, honest!"

_"Was this kid dropped on his head as a baby?"_ Ikuto thought, looking at Kukai incredulously. Amu slapped her palm against her forehead, dragging it down her face in an exasperated manner.

"Er…Well then, what is your answer, if you don't me asking?" Wakana asked wringing her hands together, glancing between Kukai and Tadase. Kukai walked over to Tadase, who was now staring up at him with awe in his eyes.

_"He couldn't be…Could he?"_ Tadase thought, staring at Kukai as he now stood only a few feet away from him. Kukai raised his arm, hooking it swiftly around Tadase's neck and bringing the young boy's body close to his own. Tadase grunted as he landed face first into Kukai's side, mouth filling with cloth. He looked up at Kukai, who was grinning at Wakana and had his thumb jerked towards Tadase.

"Of course I forgive him! He's my best friend, it'd be practically hypocritical to not forgive him," Kukai said, a serious tone in his voice to accompany the playful grin on his face. "Besides, I'd have probably done the same thing if I were in his place. After all, it was a pretty important plan to you, right?"

Tadase nodded, speechless by Kukai's forgiveness. "Y-Yeah…" He stuttered, suddenly feeling light headed and dizzy. He leaned heavily against Kukai, his breathing labored as the dizzying feeling spread throughout his entire being.

"You okay Hotori?" Kukai asked, looking down with concern clearly written on his face. Tadase nodded, lacking the ability to speak as he tried to get a grasp onto the feelings coursing through him.

"He's probably just experiencing what we like to call the Uplift Affect," Wakana explained, writing down something next to Tadase's name. "Now that he's forgiven, he's probably feeling as light as feather since all that guilty weight is gone."

"Sh-She's right…" Tadase huffed out, looking around at his friends and their concerned glances. "I feel so light…Almost as if I could float away from here forever…"

"Well then get going," Amu said, causing his attention to turn directly towards her. "You're free, there's nothing holding you here, so get going."

Tadase's eyes softened, his lips forming a small smile. "Amu-chan, I may be free, but there is something holding me here."

"Geez, what else is holding you here?" Amu asked, her eyebrow having risen in question. Tadase turned to face her, posture straight and eyes staring straight into hers with bold determination.

"The other thing that is holding me here," Tadase began his voice strong and gentle sounding. "Is something I hold very dear to me, something of great importance. Or rather that something is actually someone, and that someone I hold so close to me is you, Amu-chan."

_"Oh God, here comes the sappy soap opera speech."_ Ikuto thought, watching the pair before him with intent eyes along with the rest of the group. He watched for Amu's reaction closely, seemingly ignoring how the rest of the males' jaws dropped considerably from their original places, or how Wakana gazed upon the pair with love struck eyes.

Amu's cheeks flared pink as she looked at Tadase with wide eyes. "I-I…ah…uh…E-Excuse me?" She stammered, staying completely still as she watched Tadase advance towards her. He stopped in front of her, so close to her that she could have barely lifted her arm and it would brush across his chest.

"You heard me; you are someone who holds great value to me," Tadase said, clasping her hands in his as he gazed deeply into her eyes. "I have always considered you a close friend to me, and sometimes I would question whether I would cross the line of friendship into romance, or stay on the shores of safety and only gaze longingly at the treacherous waters of love."

_"'Treacherous waters of love'? Did he even go through puberty before he kicked the bucket?"_ Ikuto thought, watching with slight disgust as the scene unfolding before his eyes. He was never one for romantic movies that he would be forced to view with Utau, and unfortunately for him this scene seemed almost identical to one that could be found in a movie. Though almost identical to having witnessed a horrible car crash, Ikuto found that he couldn't tear his eyes away as Tadase continued his speech.

"As time went on, I found myself thinking more and more about what it would be like to be something other than friends," Tadase said, causing the pink in Amu's cheeks to become darker and more noticeable. "And when I had come here to discover you chained to this fate I vowed to somehow save you, even if it was at the cost of my own soul. To me, the freedom of your immortal life was far more precious than saving my own pathetic self. And as I thought and pondered on how to protect you from these cruelties, I answered my own question from so long ago concerning what I wanted to do."

"Ah…I-Is that so…?" Amu stuttered, shuffling her feet slightly. She felt like her face would melt off from all the heat coming into her cheeks, with more pouring in constantly from his closeness and words. Tadase nodded his small smile so soft and gentle that she had to wonder if it was even possible for someone to even try and act as gentle as he looked.

"Yes, it is so. And the answer I came up with one that I felt I had known for so long, but was just too afraid to admit. The answer being that I love you with all my heart Amu-chan." He said, closing the gap between them by leaning in and planting a soft gentle kiss on her red cheek.

"Now see, _that's_ how you should have dealt with your confession to Amu-chan." Nagihiko whispered, leaning in close to Kairi's ear to avoid being overheard by anyone else. Kairi's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, before an evil smirk came on his face.

"Really now? Well I seem to recall that a certain transfer student by the name of 'Nadeshiko' would seemingly have trouble keeping what boys would call an erection down whenever she stared too long at certain places on Hinamori-san," Kairi said, giving Nagihiko a challenging look from behind his glasses. "Mind telling me why that might be?"

"Ah…On second thought, I think your confession was much better than Tadase's. I believe he may have even copied some parts."

"That's what I thought you meant."

Tadase pulled back, a blush on his face to compliment the smile he wore. "So Amu-chan, I'll work just as hard to get you back to me. Even if it takes the rest of eternity, I'll patiently work to save you."

Amu nodded dumbly, too stunned from the recent confession to say anything else. Tadase gave a heartwarming smile before turning back to Wakana and Kukai. "Wakana-san, I'm now ready to move on."

Wakana sighed, fanning herself with her clipboard, a dreamy look on her face. "Oh alright, but I don't take enjoyment in tearing apart love! Especially one as pure as what you hold for her."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Tadase reassured her, giving her a warm comforting smile. Wakana sighed, deciding it was best to go on instead of fight with him about the concepts of love and its workings.

"Alright then Hotori-san, if you would please step as close to Sohma-san as you can get." Wakana said, motioning for him to move next to Kukai. Tadase nodded, walking over and standing as close to Kukai as he could without making it too uncomfortable for the both of them, "Good. Now then, as guide to the heavenly afterlife awaiting you, I grant permission for you to move on!"

A white circle appeared at Kukai and Tadase's feet, the light having initially flashed as brilliantly as the light that had delivered Kukai before dulling down to a tolerable glow. A mysterious wind seemed to encase them in a sphere of wind, endlessly whipping their clothes around their bodies. Soon the light from the circle rose, following the path of the wind as it covered them completely. The light shone brighter and brighter, until finally it flashed a blinding white before disappearing altogether. Where Kukai and Tadase had once stood was now empty space, signifying a successful departure.

"Alright then, one transfer down," Wakana said, marking it down on her clipboard before looking up at the group left. "Now, would Fujisaki Nagihiko step forward?"

"But of course," Nagihiko said, striding forward with grace and confidence in every step. He passed by Amu who was still dazed from Tadase's confession only moments ago.

"You may want to stop gaping and staring blankly Amu-chan," He commented, stopping in front of Wakana. "It's quite unfitting of you." Amu snapped back to reality, glaring at Nagihiko, her face red from blushing.

"Sh-Shut up! What do you expect me to do, completely and utterly ignore what happened and go on with everything?"

"He's an idiot; of course he'd expect that," A soft voice said, a bright flash following immediately after. When the light died down a small girl stood next to Wakana, her doll like face framed with mounds of thick wavy blonde hair. Her amber eyes glared at Nagihiko, tiny arms crossed over her white dress as the layered skirts ruffled with her movements.

"Good to see you again Amu. Cross dresser," She greeted, tone changing from soft to curt instantaneously. Nagihiko gave her a warm smile, ignoring the nervous pounding of his heart from behind his chest.

"Ah Rima-chan, it's so good to see you. You haven't changed a-"

"No one wants to hear your opinion cross dresser."

Kairi snickered feeling enjoyment at watching Rima snap at Nagihiko. "Fujisaki-kun, I believe the proper terminology here is 'You've been burned'."

"And I believe the proper terminology for Yaya always getting sweets from you whenever she demanded is 'You are whipped'." Nagihiko countered, not even bothering to look back at Kairi. Kairi went silent, opting to instead watch how events unfolded rather than be publicly humiliated further.

"Okay then…" Wakana said, unsure if it was safe to proceed or not, "I think it's time we move on with this procedure. Do you take full responsibility for your actions Fujisaki Nagihiko?"

"I do."

"And are you truly and fully regretful of your actions?"

"Ah…Such a difficult question to answer," Nagihiko sighed, closing his eyes. "I regret the repercussions of my actions dearly, but as for the actions themselves I do not regret. I knew that it would hurt my friends to see me leave, but I figured that they would soon cross the bridge of missing my presence and move on in life. Had I known that such actions would cause a death amongst them, I would never have gone and done such a thing."

"You're a purple haired windbag, you know that," Rima stated, eyes staring apathetically at him. "She's asking whether you regret it or not. It's really quite a simple answer: Yes or no."

"But does she mean do I regret the action in general, or do I regret it just because of the repercussions?" Nagihiko pondered, eyes locking with hers intently. Electricity seemed to fill the air as the two stared at each other in a heated contest of wills.

"Erm…I think I'll just put that as a yes…" Wakana said, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute. "Um, Mashiro-san, do you forgive him or not?"

"Yeah, I forgive him. I forgave him a while ago because I can completely see where he's coming from with the whole 'leave and be a new person' bit," Rima said, looking over at Wakana. "I just like giving him a really hard time about things."

"Ah…Is that so," Wakana said, laughing nervously as she quickly scribbled down his release onto the paper. Nagihiko sighed falling to his knees in front of Rima, closing his eyes in relief. When he reopened them, he stared at her with the utmost thankfulness in his gaze.

"Thank you Rima-chan," Nagihiko said, his eyes glistening as tears began to form. "I was so afraid that I hurt you deeply, and that you could never forgive me. I had already berated myself for causing you the amount of pain I did when we were both alive by leaving, so hearing you forgive me is just…just so relieving."

"Whatever cross dresser," Rima muttered, a tiny blush on her face as she stared in the other direction. She walked forward, stopping only when she was a few inches away from him. She held out her hand, indicating her desire for him to take it. Nagihiko blinked before smiling and grasping her hand tightly, pulling her into him quickly so as to embrace her without much struggles from her.

Rima's face became a cherry red, her eyes widening before closing as her arms wrapped around his neck. "Good to have you back…Cross dressing weirdo." She said, resting her head against his shoulder.

"It's good to be back...Tiny demon." He said, chuckling as she frowned at the nickname. Wakana smiled as she fondly watched them show their relationship in their own way, friendship or something more being up to them entirely.

"Well then, I believe that this is my cue to excuse you two," Wakana said cheerfully, holding her clipboard close to body. "As guide to the heavenly afterlife awaiting you, I grant you permission to move on!" The white light circled around them, the magical winds causing both Rima and Nagihiko's hair to whip around in every direction. The light rose, encasing both behind the walls of heavenly power before giving a blinding flash to indicate a departure was soon. When the light disappeared completely, leaving behind the empty space where they had been before, it gave proof that they both had successfully left Hell behind.

"Moving on, would Sanjou Kairi please step forward?" Wakana said, checking Nagihiko's name off on her clipboard. Kairi stepped forward, each step shaky yet determined to go through with what had to be done. Just as he came within range in front of Wakana a bright white light flashed before his eyes; the next thing he knew, he was being tackled into a bear hug by a small female.

"Class Prez! Yaya missed you so very very much!" Yaya chirped out, her light auburn hair bouncing in its pigtails. She spun in a circle, effectively swinging Kairi around with her as her dress flowed out with the motion.

"Y-Yuiki-san please! W-We have to follow protocol," Wakana called nervously, leery of breaking up an obviously happy reunion. Yaya ceased her spinning and released Kairi, looking at Wakana with innocence burning brightly in her brown eyes.

"Aww…Do we really have to?" Yaya whined, sticking her lower lip out in classic puppy dog pout. Wakana gulped, nodding nervously in answer. Yaya sighed in over exaggeration, moving so that she was standing in front of Kairi instead.

"G-Good…N-Now then, do you Sa-Yuiki-san!" Wakana cried out, stopping mid sentence to grab Yaya's attention again. Yaya turned to look at Wakana, her head in the crook of Amu's neck as she cuddled her.

"Yes Waka-tan?"

"P-Please return to your original spot!"

"But Yaya wants to say hi to Amu-chi!"

"You've said hi; now go back to doing what you're supposed to be doing," Amu stated, looking down at Yaya's face. Yaya stuck her tongue out playfully, giving Amu one last tight squeeze before letting go.

"You're no fun Amu-chi!" Yaya chided, though she did head back to her original place. Wakana sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose and clearing her throat.

"N-Now then…Do you, Sanjou Kairi, take full responsibility for your actions?"

"I do."

"And do you truly and utterly feel regret for what you have done?"

"I do," Kairi stated, looking deeply into Yaya's eyes as well. His words seemed to match the messages conveyed through his eyes to hers as he spoke, "I became so corrupted by that promiscuous classmate that I desecrated the very sanctity of the relationship with the most wonderful and beautiful girl in the world. If I could suffer a thousand more years of Hell, just to make up for the pain I've caused, then I would gladly put myself back onto the rack for you Yaya."

Wakana sighed happily, happiness coursing through her at the sight of such unbridled affection and love towards a significant other. "Yuiki-san, do you forgive-"

"Of course Yaya forgives him!" Yaya said, tackling Kairi into a tight hug. "Sure Yaya was upset at first, but as Yaya thought it over Yaya realized that affairs are tests of relationships! And that if you really really love somebody, you're willing to do whatever it takes to work it out with them! And Yaya was willing to do whatever it took to work it out with Class Prez!"

Kairi blushed bright red, staring at Yaya with wide eyes. "Y-You don't m-mean…?"

"Of course silly! Yaya loves you!" Yaya proclaimed before smashing her lips together with Kairi's. Kairi's blush intensified tenfold, surprise written clearly across his face at the action. Wakana smiled brightly, clapping her hands together enthusiastically.

"As your guide to the heavenly afterlife that awaits you, I grant you permission to move on!" Wakana announced, rising on her toes slightly before landing back on her heels. The light circled around them, the wind causing Yaya's dress to billow around in the wind's whimsical hands. Kairi's hands tentatively went to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him as the light closed around them. Yaya's arms wrapped around his neck, a smile stretching itself across her face as the light flashed brilliantly before disappearing altogether.

Ikuto looked over at Amu, whose face held what could be considered a small content smile. "Happy to see your friends again," He innocently inquired of her.

Amu glanced at him, her smile wiping itself clear of her face instantly. "What's it to you if I am?"

"Nothing; it's just very odd seeing you happy at other people's joy instead of misery."

"Oh shut it. At least I have friends to be happy about."

"For the record, I do have friends."

"None of which I care about."

Just as he was about to open his mouth to argue back, Wakana's voice carried its way over to their ears. "Tsukiyomi Ikuto, if you could please come forward!"

"Come on moron; it's your time to shine," Amu said, gesturing in the direction of Wakana. Ikuto rolled his eyes at her comment, walking towards Wakana with his hands in his pockets.

"I heard her the first time," Ikuto said, stopping a few feet away from Wakana. He gave a casual outward look, when on the inside he frantically tried to keep his nerves under control. When their departures had been announced, he knew this confrontation with Utau would be inevitable; sadly it didn't do anything to calm him in the slightest. He knew how she worked, and he knew that being on her bad side usually was equivalent to an early grave.

"Tsukiyomi Utau, please come forward!" Wakana called out, reading the name directly from the clipboard. The light flashed brilliantly, dying down to reveal a teenage girl dressed in an off the shoulder light pink top with a large light pink ballerina tutu. Her long blonde hair was held back in twin tails, the clips resembling angel wings coming out of her head. She looked at Ikuto, her violet eyes boring straight into his.

"Didn't think I would ever see you again, Ikuto," Utau said, her voice soft and lyrical to Ikuto's ears. He nodded, looking her up and down before speaking.

"Somehow I knew you'd be the one with the fanciest outfit," Ikuto stated, not at all bothering to state a simple greeting. Utau glared at him slightly, her arms covered in snug elbow length white arm warmers and pink ribbon crossing over her chest.

"Really? That's all you have to say to me?"

"Your hair looks nice too."

"If you don't greet me properly, I swear I'll-"

"Relax," Ikuto said, running his hand through his hair. "It's really good to see you too."

Utau's eyes softened, a small smile forming on her face. "There, now was that so hard?"

"Borderline excruciating."

"Oh hush. And you," Utau said, pointing at Amu. "Introduce yourself to me."

"Why should I," Amu questioned, her hands resting on her hips. "My name is of no importance to you."

"I like to be informed."

"Get your information somewhere else."

"Well aren't you bitchy?" Utau remarked, a frown placing itself on her features. Amu returned her gaze with her own, her lips pulling into a small smirk.

"Well at least I don't have to try and be pretty." Amu stated a triumphant gleam in her eyes. Utau growled lowly, storming forward to exact her revenge. Before she could even get close to getting past Ikuto, however, Wakana stepped in front of her and held her arms out.

"P-Please! W-We need to get through this, so please remain calm!" Wakana yelled in a panicked voice, waving her arms frantically up and down. Utau sighed, sending one last glare at Amu before looking at Wakana.

"I understand. I apologize for my childish behavior Wakana-san," Utau said, stepping backwards into her original place. Wakana breathed a sigh of relief, adjusting her glasses before turning to look at Ikuto.

"Now then Tsukiyomi Ikuto, do you take full responsibility of your actions?"

"Yep."

"And do you truly and fully regret what you have done?"

"Well since I'm not exactly a sick weirdo, I'd have to say that yeah I am," Ikuto said, looking up at the sky above him with both hands in his pockets. "I'd have wished hell upon the person who ever did something like this to Utau, and I'm no better than any other person. Hell, I'm probably worse than them since I'm her brother; and no amount of intoxication could excuse me from my vial, disgusting actions."

"Well then, Tsukiyomi Utau, do you forgive him?" Wakana asked, turning to look at Utau. Utau sighed, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers before answering.

"Well, one thing is for sure; it's quite comforting to see you being able to form intelligent sentences," She said, a playful grin causing her lips to twitch upwards. "It's nice to see that the alcohol hasn't completely massacred your brain cells."

"I'll just take that as a compliment."

"Don't mention it. Now as for the forgiveness, it took me a while to even think about you without wanting to boil myself alive. But you're my blood brother, even if we're only related through one parent, and that means we're family. And family sticks together through thick and thin, always having each other's backs and loving each other no matter what. And I still do love you, so obviously if I still love you then I can forgive you."

Ikuto swallowed, feeling hope rise and bubble within him like a school science experiment gone awry. "Well would you mind enlightening me on your decision?"

"Just like I remember; always impatient when not given direct answers," Utau stated, rolling her eyes at Ikuto. She gave him a warm smile, one that could have melted an iceberg in one shot, "I forgive you Ikuto. Always have and I sure as hell always will."

Ikuto stared at her, speechless by her stunning revelation that she would forgive him for something that was by all means unforgiveable. He licked his suddenly dry lips, trying yet failing to find some words to speak so as not to look like a complete idiot.

"I…I'm literally speechless," He finally choked out, somehow managing to get his leaden tongue to work again. "It's improbable and unthinkable and probably borderline insane."

"Yes, because the interactions you've had so far with angels and demons are the exact opposite of what you categorize her forgiveness as," Amu commented in an offhand manner. She walked forward, stopping only when she reached Ikuto so as to look at him as she spoke, "Face it, practically everything you know is probably a lie. Well minus the whole Heaven and Hell thing; that's obviously true since you're living it."

"Yeah…I guess you're right," Ikuto muttered, glancing over at Amu before turning his head back to look at Utau. "You've really become a better person than I could hope to be, Utau."

"Eh, I was always better than you. It was bound to happen sooner or later." Utau joked as her smile became wider. "And you seem more humble than before. I'm guessing that's what Hell does for you?"

"Mostly just her," Ikuto commented, jerking his thumb at Amu. Utau chuckled, causing Amu to pout and glare daggers at Ikuto from the corners of her eyes.

"Oh lighten up," Utau said, noticing how she seemed itching to smash Ikuto's foot into the ground. "That's actually a good thing. He always gave that air that he was more important or better than you, so if that's what happens when you come down here then let me sign up a couple other people."

Amu huffed, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards slightly. "Yeah well, I'm probably not going to be the one humbling them after this. So you might as well save your breath and pen ink."

"Even so, thanks for keeping him somewhat intact," Utau said, waving her hand over in Ikuto's general direction. "Even if you were probably a complete and utter bitch about it."

"Well in that case, you're welcome. It's the least that could be done since his punishment involved having to see your hideous face every time." Amu said her arms crossed over her chest. Utau pursed her lips before forming a small smirk, her hands on her hips.

"Anyway, I'll just turn around and let you two have a little private farewell," Utau said, turning so that her back was facing them. "Pretend like I'm not even here."

"Which is impossible since you're obviously eavesdropping," Ikuto muttered, rolling his eyes at Utau's back. He then turned to face Amu, whose eyes were staring up at him with indifference.

"Well, now you're free. Not much to say other than so long, right?" Amu inquired, her arms uncrossing to rest at her sides. "I mean, it not like we're long lost friends or anything."

"No, we're not long lost friends," Ikuto agreed, his hands slipping into his pockets. "But that doesn't mean that so long is all we have to say to each other."

"Well then, what else is there to say?"

"Well, there's the question as to why you won't be humbling anyone anymore. And why you decided to keep yourself down here instead of freeing yourself with the rest of us."

Amu turned her head, averting her gaze from his quickly. "This whole entire thing, it's basically treason against Hell. And the price of treason is incredibly high, more so than the price is on Earth."

"And the keeping yourself down here," He pressed, catching the way she bit her lip in response. "Tell me or I swear to never leave your side down here."

"Alright, no need to make threats." Amu sighed out, lifting her arms limply before letting them hang by her sides again. "I've said it many times, but I'll say it again to remind you: After everything I've done and all the pain I've caused, I don't deserve this type of freedom. Not now, not ever."

"Why? Because that mentally disturbed mentor of yours Yukari said so," Ikuto demanded, staring at her in hopes of receiving of the answer. When silence met him in answer, he let out an exasperated sigh, "Amu, forget everything she ever told you. It's all a bunch of bull; you deserve this freedom more than anyone."

"Why," Amu whispered, looking directly into his eyes with her own. Her eyes shined, holding back any tears that wanted to fall, "Why do you think that I deserve it at all? For all you know, I could be the most horrible person alive!"

"But you're not," He stated, crouching down to be at eye level with her. His hands reached out, firmly grasping her by her shoulders. "I've seen the Amu from when you were alive, and I know that she's somewhere inside. Hell, she has to be for you to have even considered doing something like this."

"Even with saying all that…It's still too late to do anything about it. That Amu is gone forever, never to breathe the fresh air or feel the sun again."

"Hate to break it to you, but it's never too late for anything. I made a promise to that Kiddy King friend of yours to save you, and I'll be damned again if I break it," Ikuto said, standing up from his crouched position in front of her. "As long as you're down here I won't rest until you're reunited with everyone, because you at least deserve that much."

Amu looked up at him, her eyes never once leaving his. "Why though? Why are you doing this much, going this far for someone like me?"

He placed his hand on her head, ruffling her hair slightly to her annoyance. "I said it before; I begrudgingly feel an acquaintanceship with you. Though now it's not as begrudgingly, more along the lines of willingly."

Amu's eyes widened, her mind too stunned to formulate some type of comeback or action. All she could do was stand and watch as Ikuto waltzed towards Utau, who had by this point turned back around to face him. She barely registered a sound when Wakana granted them passage into Heaven, and she was almost ignorant of the white light that began to blaze around them. When Ikuto turned to face her instead though and give her his final farewells, she heard the words as clear as a bell through all sounds roaring throughout the clearing. She still only stood and watched though, doing nothing until the end of it all. And only when they had all left, and she was left standing by herself, did she allow the unshed tears to fall freely.

"I hope to see you again too….Ikuto," Amu mumbled, using the heel of her hand to wipe away the droplets that rolled that down her cheeks.


	15. Welcome to Heaven

Amu's head drooped against her chest, her eyes closed as she tried to get what little sleep she was allowed. Even then the sleep wasn't comfortable, considering that she was tied to a wooden stake with splinters constantly burying themselves into her bare back. She heard the door creak open, wincing at the sudden slap that found its way to her face. She lifted her head, dull amber clashing with the sharp blue glaring at her.

"Is it that time of the day again Yukari?" She croaked out, licking her dry lips. Yukari's eyes narrowed, a scowl prominently displayed across her face.

"Unfortunately it's not," She growled, walking to the back of the stake. She pulled out a knife and began to cut away at the ropes on Amu's wrists and ankles, "However, Mr. Director has gotten word of something…promising, you might say."

"Is that so?" Amu inquired, wincing as she felt the knife cut into her wrists. "And what exactly is this promising situation?"

"Tch, if I tell you then you might get all emotional or something." Yukari said, standing up when the last of the rope was cut. She walked towards the door, not giving a second glance to Amu. "Hikaru will come in with something for you to wear. I expect you to be out of here quickly and promptly."

"Yeah yeah," Amu muttered, watching as the door closed behind Yukari. She leaned against the stake, her eyes looking over at the left side wall.

_"It's been so long…So long since I've seen them. I wonder how they're enjoying Heaven."_   She thought, sighing softly to herself. She heard the door creak open again, indicating that Hikaru had entered the room with her clothing for today.

"Here you go Amu-nee-san." Hikaru said, handing her a gossamer dress. She took it, shaking it out to see that it was nothing more than a white slip.

"Thanks," She said, pulling the clothing over her head. She slipped her arms through the straps, taking note of how they barely stayed on her shoulders. She stood up and headed towards the door, Hikaru's hand held loosely in hers.

* * *

 

Yukari quickly walked ahead of Amu, her hand tightly grabbing Amu's as she dragged her along. Amu stumbled as she tried to keep up, falling and scraping her knees at times.

"Will you pick up the pace? God, it's like dragging a sack of potatoes," Yukari grumbled, harshly yanking Amu back to her feet. Amu glared at her but kept her mouth shut so as to avoid any unnecessary trouble. Hikaru, however, had no fear of being lashed out upon and spoke on her behalf.

"Yukari-san, while in my presence you are to treat her as a semi-decent person. The minute she is gone from my sights, you may do as you please." Hikaru stated, turning his head to glare at Yukari. "Understood?"

"Tch," Yukari scoffed, though her pace slowed enough that Amu wasn't struggling as much to keep up. Amu glanced at Hikaru, mouthing her appreciation to him. He nodded, showing that he accepted her thanks to him.

Amu suddenly felt herself being yanked forward harshly causing her to come crashing down onto the ground. She sprawled out, the flimsy fabric of the dress tearing in some places. She propped herself onto her elbows, turning her head to glare at Yukari. Yukari shrugged, matching her glare with one of her own. Amu sighed, raising herself from the ground and sitting on her knees. She took in her surroundings, eyes widening as she realized where she was.

_"This place…It can't be!"_ She thought before having to shield her eyes from a blinding white light. When the light died down she lowered her arms, only to have her eyes widen even more at the sight of the person in front of her.

"Hello! My name is Wakana, and I am here for the transfer of Hinamori Amu." Wakana said, smiling brightly at them. Yukari scowled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, the little bitch is right here." She stated crossly, shoving Amu back onto the ground with the heel of her foot. Amu grunted as she was sent sprawling on the ground again, feeling more scratches form on her arms and legs.

"Ah! P-Please refrain fr-from abusing tr-transfers anym-more than need be," Wakana stammered out, flustered by the behavior she had witnessed. Yukari glared at her, causing the girl to yelp and hide behind her clipboard.

"She's still under my control, so therefore I can do whatever I feel like doing to her," Yukari stated coldly, eyes resembling ice. To emphasize her point Yukari placed her foot on Amu's back, stepping down on her hard to enough to elicit a gasp of pain.

"Picking on little girls is really quite pathetic, don't you think?" A stern voice stated as a flash far brighter than before immediately following it. Amu shut her eyes tightly, blocking the light with her arms to avoid being permanently blinded. As soon as it dimmed down back to normal Amu slowly lowered her arms and opened her eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of Utau and her friends.

"Utau…E-Everyone…" She muttered, lost in her amazement by them having actually shown up. Kukai grinned, giving her a signature thumbs up as well.

"Don't worry Hinamori! The cavalry has arrived!" He proclaimed, his grin somehow growing larger than before. Yaya bounced and twirled happily, waving her arms frantically as she did so.

"Amu-chi, look what Yaya and the others brought as well," Yaya yelled, turning her back to Amu and bending down quickly. She spun around and held what she had in her hands high above her head, causing it to shriek in delight. Amu's eyes almost bulged out of her head, surprise becoming the prominent emotion displayed on her face.

"Ami…" She thought, staring at her little sister being held above Yaya's head. The small girl grinned down at Amu, her pastel pink and yellow dress flowing all around her.

"Onee-chan wook! I'm so high, it's wike I'm fwying!" Ami stated, flapping her arms up and down for emphasis. Amu swallowed nodding her head dumbly as she watched two adult figures, one male and one female, come up from the back of the group to the front.

"Oh! If only I had a camera to capture that fleeting adorable moment!" The man cried out, overdramatic tears falling freely down his face. "Why, if only I had a camera to capture this entire moment! This moment, where Papa's lost little sparrow flies home! Home, to the nest where she belongs!"

"Ah Papa," The woman sighed, taking Ami from Yaya and holding her in her arms instead, "You truly should have considered going into the theater."

The man sniffled, dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief. "Why thank you Mama. However photography has and always will be my passion!"

Amu could only continue to stare as she watched the interactions between her father, Hinamori Tsumugu, and her mother, Hinamori Midori. She was so enraptured in watching them that she didn't even take notice of when Yukari yanked her to her feet. She did however take notice of when Yukari shoved her forward causing her to stumble slightly, yet not lose her balance and fall onto the ground.

"Hey, be gentle with Hinamori!" Kukai called out, stepping forward from the group. Yukari simply scoffed, turning her head to the side and ignoring his comment. Yaya ran forward, latching herself onto Amu's neck as quickly as she had come.

"You okay Amu-chi ? Yaya was so worried about you!" She cried, nuzzling her face into Amu's neck. Amu nodded mutely, her eyes still locked on her family. Ami looked over at Amu and grinned, leaping from Midori's arms and running straight for her. She latched onto her leg, looking up directly into her eyes.

"Onee-chan, come on! It's time to go home together!" Ami announced, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward. Yaya nodded, grabbing her other hand and pulling her forward as well. Amu followed them, too stunned by all the events to comment.

"Y-Yuiki-san! Hi-Hinamori-san! You must release her and follow protocol!" Wakana cried out, panicking as she sensed Yukari's murderous intent rising each second.

"But Waka-tan," The two girls cried out, pouting cutely at her with shining eyes.

"N-No buts! I refuse to have a repeat of the last time Yuiki-san!"

"Aww…" They whined, drooping their heads in a dejected manner. They released Amu's hands, leaving her to miss the warmth and hope they offered as they returned to the group. Wakana sighed, adjusting her glasses and looking at the clipboard in her hands.

"Now that that's settled, let's begin!" Wakana announced, looking at Amu. "Do you, Hinamori Amu, take full responsibility for your actions?"

"I do," Amu croaked, her throat suddenly gone dry now that the final moment had arrived.

"And do you truly and fully regret your actions?"

"I regret everything, and I've regretted having to do it every second that my soul has gone through." Amu said as she adverted her gaze to the ground. She balled her hands into tight fists, continuing as everyone watched her speak. "I regret endangering Ami, I regret having sent my family to their deaths, I regret having tortured all my dearest people in the most horrible ways, and I regret having caused any pain to those who happened to watch their loved ones writhe in pain by my hand."

Wakana nodded, turning to face the group behind her. "Hinamori family, would you mind giving your verdict first?"

"I fowgive you onee-chan!" Ami cried out, raising her arms into the air. "I fowgive you lots and lots and lots!"

Midori placed a hand on Ami's head, causing the smaller girl to smile brightly. "Ami speaks the truth for me as well. I forgive you; in fact I've always forgiven you and have never held a dark thought towards you."

"The same goes for Papa!" Tsumugu proclaimed, wrapping his arm around Midori's waist. "You are Papa's little sparrow, Papa's shining star! I never found fault in you, not then and most certainly not now!"

"The same goes for Yaya!" Yaya exclaimed, jumping into the air, much to the displeasure of Wakana. "Y-Yuiki-san please! W-We need t-to-"

"Oh loosen up Wakana!" Kukai said, walking over to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Wakana squeaked and turned bright red, her glasses falling down her nose. "Hinamori, no need to be emo anymore! Your soccer star in shining armor has arrived to forgive and forget!" Kukai said, jerking his thumb at himself. Wakana wriggled her way out of his grasp, finally becoming far too uncomfortable with the closeness.

"Yes, let us let bygones be bygones." Kairi stated, pushing his own glasses up his nose.

"Y-You too Sanjou-san?!"

"Sometimes one must follow protocol," Nagihiko said, stepping forward with Rima by his side, "And other times one must follow the beat of their own drum."

"And unfortunately Wakana-san, you happened to come to the parade." Rima stated, giving her an almost apologetic glance. "But we'll try to keep as close to protocol as possible."

"Oh…As long as you follow it closely enough," Wakana groaned, caving into the popular demand of the group.

"Well then I would like to say that I have always forgiven you Amu-chan." Nagihiko stated, his golden eyes as soft as his smile was warm.

"I've no reason to forgive you." Rima said, her arms crossed over her chest. "After all, I approve of everything that this stupid cross dresser had to go through."

"Ah Rima-chan, so small yet so full of cruelty." Nagihiko muttered, glancing over at Rima. Rima huffed, turning her head to face away from Nagihiko.

"Oh…Um…" Wakana stammered scrambling to quickly check off names of those that gave their consent. "L-Let's see…Um…"

"Yo, Hotori," Kukai called out, glancing over Wakana's shoulder. "Give your kingly blessing or whatever you want to call it."

Wakana squeaked, jumping up into the air before turning to give a slight glare at Kukai. "S-Sohma-san, p-please refrain from doing that!"

"Heh, sorry," He said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I just thought, you know, it'd be funny."

Wakana huffed, turning her back on him to watch as Tadase spoke. _"Guess that wasn't my brightest idea, annoying an angel and whatnot…"_ Kukai thought, noticing how her entire being radiated with annoyance at the moment.

"It's so good to see you again, Amu-chan." Tadase said, grasping her hands in his. "I hope your time down here hasn't been too unbearable."

Amu blushed lightly, looking down at the ground. "I-It's been the same. I'm pretty used to it nowadays."

"Well that's not exactly good, but it's not exactly bad either now is it?" Tadase inquired, flashing a warm smile.

Amu nodded, her blush growing brighter at his smile. "Y-Yeah…" She stammered, feeling nervous about what his answer would be to her.

"You know, even in the midst of the torture, I never once stopped loving you." Tadase stated, magenta eyes staring straight into her amber eyes. "Through that, I found myself forgiving you every time I thought of you, saw you, heard you, or felt your knife cut into me. And, like my love for you, my forgiveness towards you has never disappeared. If anything it has grown and expanded, much like a river does after a heavy rainfall."

"T-Tadase-kun…" Amu murmured her blush growing immensely as he leaned in to give her a simple kiss on the cheek. Their friends and her mother smiled at their scene, whereas Tsumugu tried his best to keep his water levels in check.

"I promised myself that when this day came, I wouldn't cry." Tsumugu sniffled, his eyes watering before releasing a flood. "But why?! Why must Papa's little sparrow have her heart be won over by a small chickadee?!"

"Ah, but Papa must remember that since we're not really belonging to the living we don't have to worry about all those physical problems." Midori stated, smiling happily at the couple before them. Tsumugu sniffled, wiping his eyes.

"That's true. At least I won't be a grandfather before my time…."

"Oh for the love of-Can we get a move on?" Yukari snapped, her foot tapping impatiently. "I feel as if we've been going through this for longer than we should be. And all this reunion crap is making me sick to my stomach."

"You really shouldn't speak out of line. It's quite rude." A voice spoke from within the group. Amu's eyes widened as she immediately recognized the speaker.

_"H-He's here. He really actually meant it,"_ Amu thought, looking past Tadase towards the grouping of her friends. There, coming forth from the depths of the back to join Utau at the front, was none other than her final assignment; Ikuto.

"Y-You came…I really get to see you again…" Amu breathed, her hands falling limply from Tadase's grasp. Tadase stepped aside, allowing her an unobstructed view of Ikuto.

"I should hope he came to see you again." Utau stated, glancing over at Ikuto. "I practically had to chain him to the house to keep him from demanding for your release. It was cute at first, but really became pitiful as it wore on."

"What you call pity," Ikuto began, meeting Utau's gaze with his own, "Is what I call determination."

"Well then you are as stubborn as a mule."

"Your words touch my heart, Utau." Ikuto muttered, rolling his eyes slightly. He turned his attention to Amu, whose eyes had never left his form from the minute he spoke. "So how's my personal misery mistress doing?"

Amu felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards, despite finding his nicknaming her still annoying. "I'm doing as well as anyone can do when being punished. But you would know all about that."

"So quick to bring up our past are we?" Ikuto asked, smirking slightly. "You must have really missed me then."

"Please, as if I missed you." Amu stated crossly, glaring at Ikuto lightly. Utau clapped her hands together, capturing the attention of everyone.

"Well, you two probably want some form of privacy." Utau stated, turning her back on them immediately. The rest of the group understood, following Utau's suit as they understood. Even Hikaru turned, much to the chagrin of Yukari. "Just pretend like we're not even here." Utau stated, glancing over her shoulder.

"And by the way Amu, I forgive you for everything and anything. I honestly think he needed something traumatizing to knock some sense into that skull of his."

"Th-Thank you…I think." Amu said, looking past Ikuto's shoulder at her. Utau nodded, turning her head away to face the backs of everyone else's heads.

Ikuto rolled his eyes at his sister's antics, before locking his gaze with Amu's. "So, are you ready to get down to why I'm actually here?"

Amu glanced down at the ground, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. "Depends. Have you actually come to your senses and decided that I'm not worthy?"

"Nope, not at all." He stated immediately, crouching down to her level. He grasped her chin, gently pulling her face so that their eyes locked together. "Every single answer I've given to you has stayed the same since then: I still willingly acknowledge an acquaintanceship with you, I still think you deserve what you're about to receive, and I still forgive you because I know you're a far better person than that."

"H-How though?" Amu choked out, her mouth suddenly gone dry. "How do you know that? How are you able to keep all these answers the same after so long? I would've thought you'd have come to your senses."

"Coming to senses is so overrated nowadays," Ikuto stated simply, "Being insanely dedicated to causes and people so much that you're practically blinded by everything else, that's where everyone is nowadays."

Amu nodded, feeling her knees begin to knock together. Standing seemed to be an almost impossible task to her, much less keeping a conversation going with him. "S-So basically you've lost your mind?"

"More or less, yes." He said, shrugging his shoulders. He leaned in close to her ear, causing a small blush to appear again on her face. "I must really have lost it if I think that that Kiddy King might have a run for his money someday."

Amu's eyes widened before shutting completely, consciousness leaving her quickly. Her body fell forward into his, causing his arms to wrap around her waist instantly. Ikuto pulled her closer to him, her head resting against his shoulder heavily. He looked down at her face, his lips turning upwards as he examined her sleeping face.

_"Still as cute as I remember."_ He thought, standing up with her in his arms. He turned around, seeing that everyone was still facing the other way. "You can all face this way again."

The group immediately turned around, noticing immediately that Amu was in Ikuto's arms. "Papa's little sparrow! So young, yet already in a love triangle!" Tsumugu shouted falling to his knees as tears fell. Midori sighed, patting his head in a comforting way.

"Hooray! Amu-chi is back with us!" Yaya cheered, jumping up and down excitedly. Amu's friends cheered with her, pumping fists into the air and jumping as they rejoiced. Ikuto felt Amu stirring in his arms, looking down to see her regaining consciousness.

"Light sleeper are we?" He inquired, almost chuckling at the way her eyes blinked in drowsiness before turning to face him.

"It's almost impossible to sleep with Yaya and everyone creating such a commotion." Amu commented rubbing her honey colored eyes to wake herself up more. Ikuto smirked, silently agreeing with her as he felt something tug at his pant leg. He looked down to see Hikaru staring up at him, blue eyes boring into his own.

"So Amu-nee-san is going away now." Hikaru stated, not questioning the fact at all. Ikuto nodded, sensing that Hikaru was slightly upset by this fact. Hikaru thrust his pinky into the air, indicating that he wanted someone to hook theirs around his. "Amu-nee-san, promise that you'll remember me."

Amu smiled down at him, ruffling his hair slightly before hooking her pinky around his. "I, Hinamori Amu, do hereby swear upon the life of my pinky that I will always remember you."

"Good," Hikaru said, unhooking his pinky from hers. "By the way, you can fall for that this miscreant if you want. He's already done one thing to make you happy." Hikaru said, before turning and walking away from the scene quickly.

Amu blushed, staring at Hikaru's retreating form. _"Wh-What the heck was that about?"_ Amu thought, glancing up at Ikuto. Before she could ponder the thought further, though, Wakana's voice broke through the commotion.

"Alright then! If I may have everyone's attention, we're about to depart!" Wakana shouted, grabbing everyone's attention immediately.

"Wait! Stop right there please!" A voice shouted out suddenly, surprising everyone. They all turned to look at the speaker, who was running towards them with a young boy at her heels carrying a bouquet.

"Who's that?" Rima asked, looking at Nagihiko. He shrugged, having not a clue as to who it could be.

Amu squinted, trying to make out the approaching figures. "It looks like…"

"…Fanboy and flower girl?" Ikuto finished, finally recognizing them as they came within a closer distance. Amu looked up at him, blinking in surprise.

"How do you know Manami and Seiichiro?"

"Seed shopping opens up a world of new experiences." Ikuto stated as the two came into the clearing. Manami huffed and puffed, trying to regain her breath from the long sprint that she had just endured.

"Finally…made it…Thought…we weren't…going to…" Manami panted out, her hands on her knees as she was bent over. Seiichiro pushed his glasses up his nose as he stared at Amu from every angle imaginable.

"It's happening! It's finally truly happening! The day when I get to be so close to Hinamori-senpai!" Seiichiro squealed, happily gazing at Amu from the ground. Amu felt slightly uncomfortable, only keeping her mouth shut so as not to ruin the boy's happiness.

"Seiichiro…You're probably…scaring her." Manami said, standing up straight and wiping the sweat from her brow. "Give her the bouquet and go through the motions just like you normally would."

"And that I shall do!" Seiichiro announced, shoving the bouquet up towards Amu. "Hinamori Amu! This bouquet comes from the seeds grown by Manami and myself! Also, these seeds were handpicked and told that when they've bloomed they were to be delivered to you by Tsukiyomi Ikuto! May you accept these flowers and gaze at their beauty for as long as they live!"

"Ah…Th-Thank you…" Amu said, taking the bouquet from Seiichiro. He proudly beamed up at her before clearing his throat to speak.

"Also I would like to say that Hinamori-senpai, I-" Manami slapped her hand over his mouth before he could get another word out. She nervously chuckled, beginning to scuttle backwards away from him.

"Don't mind him, he's just crazy. Had a little too much sugar, he has." Manami lied, knowing full well what was really going to come out of his mouth. "Well have fun in Heaven, bye!" She yelled, sprinting away from the scene as quickly as possible.

"So…Anyone know who they actually were?" Utau asked, looking around at everyone. Everyone shook their heads, no one besides Amu and Ikuto having the faintest idea.

"Well then…Now that that's out of the way," Wakana said, adjusting her glasses on her face as she spoke, "Everyone group together as tightly as possible! We want this to go as smoothly as possible!"

Sounds of agreement came from everyone as they all huddled together, everyone invading another person's personal bubble. Ikuto strode towards the group with Amu still in his arms, trying to find a place within the group before it became almost impossible. Amu was staring at the bouquet, noticing that they were set up in a ring like design, with cyclamen on the outer edges and a white camellia in the center.

_"Cyclamen, pink carnation, wallflower, dark pink rose, snowdrop, pink heather, gladiolus, and white camellia."_ Amu thought to herself, counting off the flowers that were in the bouquet. She then racked her brain for their meanings, ignoring Wakana as she went through the usual beginning of granting their permission. As she finally connected with each of the flower's meanings, she quickly looked up at Ikuto with her cheeks painted red.

"Y-You…Th-These…" Amu stammered out much to his amusement. Before she could get a single coherent thought out, though, Wakana finished granting her permission and the light and wind soon enveloped them all.

Ikuto smirked, enjoying as Amu continually stared between him and the flowers in her hands. _"That little mutt actually was a help."_ Ikuto thought, mind roaming back to the day he and Dia had picked out the flowers that Amu now held. Soon he felt the familiar lurch in his stomach as they were all pulled to Heaven, the light around them having become brilliantly white.

_"Good-bye, I will never forget, friendship and adversity, thank you, hope and consolation, good luck, strength of character along with I am sincere, and you're adorable."_ Ikuto thought, listing off the meanings of the flowers in his head as they began to quickly evaporate from Hell and emerge up into the beautiful eternity of Heaven. Amu stared in wonder and awe at the otherworldly beauty around them as Wakana rejoiced at being back, throwing her arms in the air and praising every high power.

"It's so beautiful…" Amu murmured, taking in her surroundings. Ikuto chuckled at her bewilderment, enjoying how her eyes stayed the size of dinner plates as she drank in everything.

"It's Heaven; what were you expecting?"

"I don't know. And stop laughing, it's not nice." Amu scolded, glaring and pouting up at him.

"My apologies for having apparently insulted you," Ikuto said in a playful tone of voice. "Allow me to make it up to you."

Amu raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "And just how do you plan on doing that?"

"Just watch and learn," He simply stated before leaning in close to her face. Amu blushed, her heart racing, even though his lips came nowhere near kissing hers. Instead, they landed on her forehead, placing a soft kiss there before pulling back. Ikuto smirked at her cherry red face, finding her reactions to be quite amusing.

"Welcome to Heaven, Amu."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *jazz hands* Um...ta-da?

**Author's Note:**

> *shrug*


End file.
